In the End
by greenchopstix
Summary: Challenge Fic - How would your OTP - Shamy - spend their last few moments on Earth. Update: I have re-opened this story as a few people have asked me to expand. As a fellow Shamy shipper I couldn't leave you hanging :)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I seen this challenge on Tumblr, write a short fic of how your OTP would spend their last day on Earth. I thought this would be fun to think outside the box and this is what I came up with. Ch1 is for the challenge, Ch2 is the finish the story off for my own sanity. **

Sheldon paced his bedroom from end to end, a look of concern spread across his face. He stopped to peer out his bedroom window, it was 9:00PM and instead of the expected darkness the sun shone brighter than it did on most days. Looking down at the sidewalk next to his building he noticed that there was no bustle of people walking by and no cars driving past on the nearby street, everything was eerily quiet. Sheldon wasn't surprised, most people were probably home to spend their last moments on Earth with their loved ones.

"Where is she?"

Sheldon said aimlessly as he looked towards his wrist watch out of pure habit. It was a futile act as his watch along with every other electronic on the planet had stopped working.

Feeling defeated he pulled his curtains closed and laid on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling as he allowed himself to get lost in thought. How foolish were we all, spending our lives in buildings slaving away to pay bills and saving for retirement. We work most of our lives just so one day when were older we can relax and live life, how ironic.

He hated feeling this way, out of control. There was nothing he could do to stop this. There was nothing he could do to stop time and protect the ones he loved. When death knocks on your door it's not going to wait for you to answer.

Sheldon snapped out of thought at the sound of his bedroom door creaking open. He held his breath waiting for the person to appear from the other side. Relief spread through him as he laid eyes upon his girlfriend. He scooted over so Amy could lay beside him.

"How are they?" Sheldon asked with a saddened heart.

"She finally cried herself to sleep, Leonards by her side." Amy tried to say in a reassuring voice.

Earlier across the hall, Sheldon, Leonard and Amy did their best to console a hysterical Penny. They each tried their best to calm her down, but to no avail. In the grand scheme of things it was understandable, they were each scientist except for Penny. Penny couldn't help but be glued to the news footage coming out of NASA. Once the news feeds, cell phone, and internet stopped working Penny grew hysterical wanting to know how they were all going to be saved. But Sheldon, Leonard and Amy knew the ramifications of the data being released from NASA, from a scientific standpoint the inevitable was going to occur and that in less than 24 hours everything around them would cease to exist.

Sheldon's thoughts wandered to his other friends and internally hoped they spent their last few minutes together. Everything had unfolded so quickly, one day your eating Thai food around the coffee table with your friends and the next thing you know 3 of your friends are being picked up by a black ops helicopter to transport them to an undisclosed location.

Howard Wolowitz, Sheldon never said it to his face but he was a mathematical genius. He sailed through the course work at MIT, the government would have been stupid not to recruit him. Then there was his friend Raj the astrophysicist, out of all his friends he was the hopeless romantic of the group. He suppose it made sense, Raj had dedicated his life work studying the stars and the beauty of the cosmos. Then there was Howard's equally small stature wife Bernadette. Bernadette would be damned that Howard and Raj go off to carry the weight of the world without her. Bernadette was one of the toughest people he knew.

Then there was Amy, Sheldon rolled over on his side so he could get a good look at her. She was his beloved and most cherished Amy Farrah Fowler. In the beginning, he prided himself that he was a logical and controlled man. He didn't waste his time with love, his heart was in an impenetrable steel box so he could focus on the important things of life which is the sciences. But then she came along, the only person intelligent enough and determined enough to unlock his heart.

Sheldon allowed himself to relish in the memory of their time together. Meeting her at the coffee shop for the first time under threat of a soiled dirty sock. How they became the best of friends and eventually more than friends. He thought back to the first time he kissed her on the train, how he was taken off guard by the softness of her lips and the feel of her closeness. He thought back to the first time they were intimate together. They had played 3 dimensional chess and she had beat him. Okay, okay, if now was the time to be honest, she spanked him hard at 3D chess. Sheldon had never been beaten so bad when he was in full concentration. That was the moment he realized that Amy was a superior being, intelligent, beautiful, patient… perfect…

Sheldon remember asking her when they were alone one day if she was still interested in an intimate relationship with him. He remembered her answer as if it were yesterday,

"If you'll have me, I'm yours…"

That night he had taken her and made her his. He signed that invisible contract that solidified that Amy Farrah Fowler belonged to Sheldon Lee Cooper. The experience was beyond anything he could have imagined, how beautiful she looked beneath him. The smile that danced across her lips, the blush that streaked across her cheeks when he brought her to ecstasy. He now knew what people meant when they say you can have sex or you can make love, that day he showed Amy how much he loved her. Sheldon didn't necessarily believe in a deity, but on days like that day, sometimes he wondered if Amy was put here just for him.

The sun grew brighter behind the pulled curtains, Sheldon refusing to take his gaze off of Amy asked her,

"Do you have any regrets?"

Amy linked her hand with Sheldon's, "I just don't want to forget everything, this life, what we have together…for it all to just disappear…"

Sheldon wrapped his arms around his girlfriend to comfort her,

"Nothing really disappears, it's just converted to a different form. When you boil water the water doesn't disappear its converted to steam, every 3rd grade scientist knows that."

Amy furrowed her brow unsure where Sheldon was going with this she allowed him to continue,

"Many scientist believe we humans evolved from star dust. The atoms inside us, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and various other elements that make up the human body are all derived from the stars. So in a sense, were just going back to our earlier form but nevertheless we still exist."

Amy couldn't help but smile back at her boyfriend, "Well when you put it that way, that's really beautiful."

The light in the room continued to grow, Sheldon and Amy had to shut their eyes tight to block out the brightness. Amy wrapped her arms around Sheldon and held him close,

"Do you think in another universe there's another Sheldon whose in love with Amy?"

"In every universe Sheldon Lee Cooper is in love with Amy Farrah Fowler."

Sheldon and Amy pressed their lips together and shared what would be their last kiss on Earth.

FLASH! [End Scene]


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Im really reaching outside the box in this chapter. Please try your best to roll with it :)**

[500 Years Later in Another Part of the Universe]

Like she did every time the planet cycled into darkness, she looked towards the distant stars. Ever since she was a youngling she has felt this invisible pull. Another galaxy or another time maybe?

Brought out of concentration, she was knocked down onto the floor. Someone had accidentally ran into her.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," the man said.

She turned her head towards the voice that was speaking to her and noticed a taller individual. She watched him as he stood and brushed himself off. Their eyes met briefly and the man opened his mouth to speak again but it was interrupted by the loud chime of the intercom.

"All new recruits report to the queue. All new recruits report to the queue."

Looking back down at her surroundings she slowly picked herself up off the ground and did a quick visual check. It was her first day and she didn't want to lose anything important.

"It's okay, I was probably in the way."

She turned back towards the man that had bumped into her but he was no where to be found. Recruits were running by in a rush to get to the queue so she deciding not to dwell on the incident any further and proceeded to fall in line.

At the front checkpoint she held out her card to have it scanned,

"Recruit-1463, your assigned to section 4 console 7 "

Walking in slowly she took in her surroundings. From now on this would be her life, no one knew her here. She decided that from this day forward she wouldn't try to fit in and be someone she wasn't. She was different and it was about time she acknowledge that. She was going to live life the way she wanted to live it and if she had to be her own best friend than so be it.

She eagerly approached her console, this was her station, she worked hard for this spot. Eager to connect to the system she pushed the buttons on the console in sequence, but nothing happened. She tried over and over entering in the sequence on the console but came up with the same results.

"You have to put your identification card into the chamber before you can do anything," A familiar voice spoke to her. She looked up and to her surprise it was the tall man that had bumped into her earlier. She watched him as he logged onto the console right next to hers.

"Thanks, I guess I'm a little over excited."

"What are you in for?" He said as he remained focused on the screen before him.

"Huh? Oh you mean what am I studying. I'm here to do research on Star Resonance Theory, in particular the study of atoms and their memories."

"Fascinating, thats a difficult field of research. It's unfortunate that you got recruited into a field that has a such a low percentile of success."

"I volunteered!" Did she say that with pride? Because it was true, she was very proud of her chosen career path.

She continued on, "It is a difficult field of research but it something I'm very passionate about."

She stole a peek towards his direction, who was this guy anyways? She looked toward his console for clues,

"Alpha Quadrant Sector-020, are you part of that team? The people who understand that field of study is less than 3%!"

He turned to her with a confident grin, "I assure you, I can handle it."

They both settled into their assigned consoles and worked away in silence for the next few hours.

Noticing that there was a lot of movement around her, she pulled up the screen that showed her where the planet was in it's rotation. It was time for sustenance and everyone was heading to the mess hall.

Gathering up her things she could feel him standing behind her.

"Whats does this mean?" He said as he pointed to the corner section of her console that displayed her identification.

She was hesitant to tell him, she didn't want to be the one that started the rumor that she was some weirdo. Stammering a response,

"I-I had my atoms read. The Elders determined that part of my particle makeup is from… Ancient Earth. The Oracle even assigned me an Ancient Earth name and that there in the corner is it, Amelia."

Out of nervousness she rambled on, "Ancient Earth studies indicate that the name can even be shortened to Amy."

"Amy…" he repeated the name back to himself.

She was surprised that he didn't give her a bewildered look at what she just confessed to him.

"I too elected to have my atoms read by the Elders. In order to fully understand the universe I first need to understand myself. Believe it or not my particle makeup can also be derived from Ancient Earth."

Taken off guard Amy was surprised, it was rare to be linked to Ancient Earth in their part of the universe. "Did the Oracle assign you a name?"

"Indeed. Its Sheldon, it can also be shortened but I prefer that you just call me Sheldon."

"Sheldon," Amy let every syllable of the name roll off her tongue, she liked the sound of that name.

Amy suddenly felt that invisible pull again, it was if something inside her was trying to tell her something or guide her somewhere. Broken out of her train of thought Sheldon once again spoke,

"You know… Amy… in Ancient Earth culture it was customary for beings to partake in social activities in order to initiate a bond of friendship. So if you don't have any preset plans, can I buy you a beverage?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:This started off as a challenge fic and I intended it to be a two-shot. I re-opened this story as I received a few request to expand as a few people were curious how things with Sheldon and Amy would unfold. Story note, one cycle = 3 earth years.**

Looking towards the entry way for the third time Sheldon couldn't help but grow impatient. He tried his best to wait for Amy but he just finished a long shift and all he wanted to do was eat his meal, take a hot shower and head to bed. As they both made progress in their research projects it was common that they would sometimes have to go a few days without seeing each other. But Amy for some reason insisted that they see each other at least once today. Sheldon had agreed to meet Amy for dinner but he did not expect her to be so late. He stared off into the distance a few minutes longer listening to the sounds his empty stomach made before he finally gave in.

"Forget it, I'm eating without her."

He eagerly dug into his food and leaned back in his chair. Not long after he could hear footsteps approaching the table, looking up he met Amy's gaze and watched her as she took a seat across from him. She noticed a tray of food already set out for her. Looking towards her dear friend she offered a smile as a form of thanks. She enjoyed those small gestures from Sheldon that confirmed he was thinking of her.

"Im so sorry I'm late, I was working on something and it took me longer than I anticipated ."

Sheldon with a mouthful of food mumbled an incoherent response. Amy sat with her food untouched, she was more interested in watching the person who sat across from her and his attempt to break the record for the fastest eaten meal. Apart from the location of where she now called home Amy didn't expect this stage of her life to be any different. Making friends never came easy, she always felt like that awkward puzzle piece that never found a place. As a new recruit Amy had decided that she would put less effort in making friends and more effort in her work. It was by sheer chance that she had befriended Sheldon. Amy had stopped to look up at the night sky and he had accidentally stumbled into her. It was as if life was trying to make their meeting obvious by assigning Sheldon a console next to hers. He was far from perfect, he was often times too serious, too logical and too direct, but Amy knew deep in her heart that he was genuine. Since meeting that first day the two have become an inseparable pair. She didn't know why but whenever they were together she felt complete. She had secretly hoped that in some sense Sheldon felt the same way.

Managing to swallow his last mouthful of food Sheldon gestured towards Amy's tray, "I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of retrieving your food."

"Because you were thinking of me?"

"Because I was starving and I didn't want to wait, an overall flawed plan. What took you so long anyways?"

Amy tried to suppress her excitement but was failing in her attempt. She thought carefully on how she should break the news to Sheldon. Should she be straightforward or more subtle, should she act like it's no big deal or maybe she should just forget it all together? Sheldon eyed Amy cautiously, something in her demeanor was telling him that she was withholding information. Sheldon's expression asked the question, what are you not telling me? Amy took in a breath, she was no good at keeping things from him, they knew each other long enough to the point he could read her like a book.

"Ok fine I'll tell you," Amy took in a deep breath to help summon her inner courage before continuing, "Happy Anniversary!"

Sheldon sat expressionless across from Amy as he chose his words carefully before speaking, "Amy, as someone who shares the same history with you and believe me when I say that I understand your need to get back to your roots, but is this really necessary?"

Amy's excitement didn't waver she was fully prepared for Sheldon's response. They had been friends for a full cycle now and she wanted to commemorate the occasion. Amy reached down to retrieve an item from her bag. "Please just humor me our friendships important and I want that to be known, look, I even got you a present," she finished as she dangled an object before him.

Sheldon quickly analyzed the situation, under normal circumstances he would point out all the fallacies in celebrating such an outdated fictitious holiday. The only downside to his logic was that if he were to say this out loud, the excitement and smile Amy currently displayed would quickly disappear. Deciding against all logic he reached out and allowed Amy to give him his gift. Examining the item more closely he could see that it was a charm with a miniature hologram of Earth.

"You realize that I am now required to get you something in return?"

Feeling relieved that Sheldon didn't fight her on this she tried her best to reassure him, "You're the one who initiated our friendship one cycle ago so Ill just accept that as my present."

Amy ate her food slowly, as they both had to work longer shifts recently it was uncertain when the next opportunity would arise for them to spend time together. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him.

"Its kind of lonely since you've been promoted and your consoles no longer next to mine."

Sheldon watched her as she poked at her food and corrected, "I didn't really get a promotion, on my last trip to the Isos galaxy we encountered an unpredictable interstellar cloud, problems occurred, half my team died and I got to move up."

Amy in a mocking tone, "Do I have to refer to you as Commander every time I see you now?"

"I wont require it of you when were in private, but if you keep up that sass I wont hesitate to issue you a strike."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Given the circumstances of ch1, theres no getting around that this story has to be somewhat AU. Thank you to those who are joining me on this journey. **

Amy waited inside the docking bay terminal, she had made it a habit to always greet Sheldon whenever he returned from a trip off planet. She initially started meeting him for the simple fact that she had nothing else to do but it gradually turned into waiting for his return out of worry. Sheldon could have easily been the half of the team that perished on the last trip out. Although he reassured her that they would be running tests just outside the perimeter and that there was nothing to worry about, Amy couldn't help but feel uneasy. To be used to having your best friend by your side since day one and for that to suddenly disappear into emptiness. The thought alone was enough to make her stomach turn into knots.

"Hello there little butterfly. I've been seeing you around here more often than not."

Amy looked up towards the voice and realized it was Zen. His real name was too long and too complicated to say so everyone grew accustomed to calling him by the first three letters of his full name. He wasn't part of any of the research teams, he was instead part of the battle fleet. He was tall and muscular, he wore the scars on his arms proudly as a way to show off his experience. Sheldon would always refer to that bunch as more brawn than brain but regardless Zen was always nice to her.

"I assume you guys are on your way out?"

Zen nodded and gave Amy a wink, "If I didn't have to leave Id make it my mission to make you smile."

Amy gave Zen a hug and offered him her well wishes. It wasn't until another hours wait that the docking bay doors opened. She instantly recognized the Alpha Quadrant insignia on the uniforms of the returnees and knew it was Sheldon's team. Out of relief for his safe return Amy felt the urge to run and fling her arms around Sheldon but she fought against those urges. She could never do that in private let alone in a public setting. Amy instead stood patiently as she always had and waited for her friend. Sheldon of course expected to see Amy at the terminal, she was nothing if not consistent in her actions, that was something he found comforting. As they both made eye contact he called out to her, "I found your present." Amy held out her hands to catch the object that Sheldon had tossed.

"Im 100% sure its an artifact from Earth."

"How can you be so sure?", she asked with curiosity. Amy turned over the object in her hands and wondered if it had something to do with her research and the resonance and memories of atoms. Maybe Sheldon had somehow made a connection?

Sheldon turning the artifact upside down, "Because it says 'Made in China' on the bottom of it."

As Sheldon proceeded down the hall with the rest of his team to debrief and update the system with the latest test results, Amy headed to her lab to start researching what the object was. She put the artifact in the identification scanner and it immediately pulled up information from the archives providing a full detailed description. The small figurine was called a 'rook' and was one of 32 pieces from a game called chess. The objective was to capture the opposing pieces and place the opponents King into 'checkmate' by forcing it to surrender. The entire premise sounded somewhat barbaric to Amy.

Amy now moved to the phase of experimentation, she poured a green liquid onto the artifact that would enhance the atoms vibrational frequencies and placed the object underneath a high tunneling microscope. "Ok little rook, show me your memories…" She turned on the adjoining display system and waited for the results but unfortunately no images appears across the screen.

* * *

Returning from his shower Sheldon entered his quarters. Amy was already there to greet him as she sat on the floor. Sheldon couldn't help but notice her look of disappointment.

"Still no luck?"

Amy in a somber tone replied, "No and its been a week and I've run well over 100 tests."

Amy reached for her bag and pulled out what appeared to be a checkered board. If there was any up side to situation it was that she now had a new game to play with Sheldon. Amy was easily able to replicate the chess board and each of it's corresponding pieces. Setting up the game between them Amy explained the rules to Sheldon and once they both felt comfortable with the rules they proceeded to play.

Thinking out loud Amy asked, "Back then, what do you think happens when you lose?"

Sheldon pausing a moment to come up with an answer, "Well, given the timeframe and primitive nature of the beings back then one can only assume the inevitable…death." Amy eyed him carefully looking for any hints that would tell her if he was being serious or telling a joke.

They played there game in silence each carefully calculating their next move. Sheldon had to admit that the game was rather stimulating and required a lot of strategy. Sheldon continued to win round after round but he noticed that with every new round Amy was getting tougher and tougher to beat. They started yet another round, this time Amy could feel a confidence running through her, like she had played this game a hundred times. Her hand moved over the board with ease, she knew exactly which move she needed to make. Sheldon picked up one of his pieces but just as quickly put it back down. He scanned the board one last time before he finally admitted, "I can't go anywhere."

Amy gave him a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

"I don't have any moves left."

Amy examined the board carefully, "I won? I won, checkmate!"

Amy didn't know why but she wanted that win, she allowed the feeling of her victory to wash over her. For someone who feels the need to be the best at everything, Sheldon to her surprise was taking the loss better than she had expected. It was because he cared about her, right? Amy leaned back against the bed and watched Sheldon as he once again reset the board. "I'll let you enjoy your moment because I guarantee you I wont lose again." Amy allowed the corners of her lips turn up into a smile, Sheldon was always so confident and sure of himself. That was one of the many things she loved about him.

Without realizing she was staring, Amy took in Sheldon's features. She knew that Sheldon was handsome and she felt lucky being able to stand by his side even if it was just as his friend. As Sheldon went on to explain his various strategic approaches to the game Amy could feel that her attention span was starting to drift. Her mind started to feel cloudy like she was being pulled into a dream. Hoping that the cool air would help her keep focused Amy took off her jacket and tossed it near her bag. Were his eyes always that blue?, she asked herself as she pretended to listen. Amy could see Sheldon's lips moving but she couldn't hear any words. Unable to control her thoughts she let them roll in like a fog. Amy's mind suddenly filled with thoughts of Sheldon leaning over the chess board to kiss her, she looked towards his lips as if it were suppose to happen any minute now but Sheldon sat unmoving. Her thoughts transitioned to the image of Sheldon guiding her to his bed and telling her that he loved her. Her internal voice said the words 'Im yours…' As if she were in a trance, Amy's hands moved on their own as she started to undo the buttons on her blouse. As she looked back towards her friend that sat across from her all she could feel was love, she once again looked into Sheldon's eyes. This was when she realized something wasn't right, was he…. angry?

Sheldon's voice was able to break through the cloudiness of her mind, "Amy, what are you doing?!"

Amy snapped out of her trance and remembered her surroundings. She looked back at Sheldon whose eyes were now darting around the room. Sheldon could see the curves of Amy's breasts peaking through her unbuttoned blouse so he averted his gaze to anywhere but at her. Amy trying to orient herself and gain her composure, looked down at her blouse and to her horror realized it was half unbuttoned. Unsure what had come over her, she struggled to come up with an explanation. Embarrassed and unsure what to say, Amy quickly buttoned up her blouse and made up a reason to excuse herself from his quarters.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I needed this chapter as a way to set up my dominos. Minimum tolerance of science fiction may be required.**

Sheldon continued to toss and turn in his bed, he couldn't figure out what had gotten into Amy. One minute their playing a game of chess the next minute Amy's undressing before his very eyes. Sheldon thought back to the way Amy had looked at him, he was far from an expert, but he could swear that behind Amy's green eyes he could see lust and desire and something else… love?

Sheldon let out a sigh, he started to feel somewhat ashamed, when Amy had started to unbutton her blouse he was so stunned all he could do was stare. He didn't intend to violate her privacy or show any disrespect but to be quite honest, Amy didn't even seem to notice. It was like she was in daze. Sheldon already knew that Amy was aesthetically pleasing he wasn't blind, she didn't need take our her breast for him to notice that. How could he not stare?! He's a researcher it's his job to be observant and pay close attention to detail. Three buttons, there were only three buttons left on Amy's blouse. Sheldon buried his face into his pillow and tried to turn his mind off long enough to drift asleep. He didn't know what had gotten into Amy but he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

To Amy's relief Sheldon didn't bring up the embarrassing incident and they gradually fell back into their routine. She knew he would eventually bring it up as he was the type that didn't like to leave things unfinished. But for now, Amy was content in tip-toeing around that particular topic.

Working away writing out her reports, out of the corner of Amy's eye she could see someone approaching, "You will not guess what I just found!." Amy smiled and turned to face her teammate Risa. Amy wasn't quite sure if they were friends because they never spent anytime together outside of work but Risa was nice and easy to talk to. With her curiosity peaked Amy sat on the edge of her chair waiting for her to finish.

Risa bounced off her heels with excitement, "Debris field, north quadrant!"

Amy jumped out of her chair. To the average person a debris field was nothing to get excited about but to Amy and her teammates a debris field was a treasure trove of potential test subjects.

Amy matching Risa's excitement, "North quadrant, we need to get out there before were too late. We might miss our chance."

* * *

Amy took the lift to Sheldon's floor she couldn't wait to tell him the news. As she headed towards Sheldon's console she could see that he was speaking to a woman. She had pale skin, long black hair and a small frame, Amy couldn't help be curious who she was. The feeling of excitement still running through her Amy walked right up to Sheldon's console.

"Sheldon, you will not guess…"

Sheldon shot Amy a look stopping her in her tracks.

Amy realizing she corrected herself, "Commander, when you have a moment."

Sheldon turned back to the black-haired woman, "Have the team go over these calculations again, the smallest error would be catastrophic." Amy watched the black-haired woman as she walked away to carry out her orders.

Wanting to satisfy her curiosity Amy asked, "whose she?"

Sheldon typing in the rest of his notes, "Seven…"

"No I meant who was that woman you were just speaking with."

Sheldon stood up and logged out of his console, "I just told you, her name is Seven. She's been assigned to our team by Captain Aero due to our unplanned downsizing."

Amy followed Sheldon as he walked down the hall, she couldn't help but think back to that woman. 'Seven' that's such a strange name, but then again 'Zen' was a strange name and that's in its shortened form. Sheldon guided Amy to a secluded area and once there he turned to Amy and folded his arms like he always does when he's trying to assert his authority.

"Amy, when we are in public especially around my peers you must remember my rank. If you don't address me appropriately it comes off as disrespectful."

"I know, I'm sorry. We found a debris field and Risa and I are planning on going out there. Theres no telling what we might find. I was excited and you're the first person outside of my team I wanted to tell."

"Let me get this straight, you came all the way over here interrupting my work just so you could tell me you were going dumpster diving for space trash?"

Amy was starting to feel defensive, "Its not space trash, they're potential test subjects! Who knows what their atoms might bring us."

Sarcasm filled Sheldon's voice, "It would probably bring you more hours staring at a blank screen and a one way ticket to depression."

Amy folded her arms, disappointed that Sheldon didn't share the same enthusiasm.

Sheldon rolled his eyes, "Well if there isn't anymore ground breaking news I'm going to head back to work."

Sometimes Sheldon wondered why he put up with Amy's nonsense. As they walked together he glanced towards Amy just long enough to catch her smile. Apparently, that was why.

* * *

Amy and Risa stood in the docking bay terminal, they scanned the flight log but no ships were going out to the north quadrant.

"We meet again little butterfly," Zen gave Amy a smile. He then looking towards Risa and gave her a nod, "and hello little butterflies friend."

Risa started to fan herself as she eyed Zen from head to toe.

"Hi Zen, we were hoping to find a ride to the north quadrant but the ship log doesn't show any flights."

Amy was unsure if Zen was flexing his muscles or if they moved naturally that way. Zen thought for a moment, "You want to go to north quadrant? Let me check one more log…"

Zen left Amy and Risa alone for a few minutes, when he returned she noticed that there were five other members of battle fleet in tow.

"You ladies are in luck a flight just opened up."

Amy turning to check the flight log one more time, "Really? I don't see any listed…" Risa pulled at Amy's sleeve, "Come on Amy, a flight opened up, let's go."

Amy buckled herself into her seat and looked around, the ship was different from the normal ones she's been in. Maybe this was a newer model.

Zen called back from the front of the ship, "Go ahead and get comfortable, the debris field is in the far north quadrant. It's going to be a few hours at minimum."

Amy and Risa went over their loot. The debris field was mostly rocks but luckily they were able to find a few treasures. Suddenly Amy felt the ship jerk. Looking around she could see the crew quickly moving back to their assigned stations.

Risa grabbed Amy's hand, "Whats going on?"

Peering towards the front of the ship Amy could see one of the monitors was flashing.

* * *

Sheldon stared at the screen in front of him, he started to feel like a hypocrite for what he said to Amy earlier about her disturbing his work. Now that he was alone with no disruptions he was still unable to stay focused. Deciding that he wasn't going to make any breakthroughs today he shut off his console and put on his jacket.

"Commander, are you heading to lunch? Maybe I could join you."

Had she been standing there the entire time? "Hi Seven, oh no… I'm heading to the docking bay terminal to wait for someone."

Trying to hide her disappointment with a smile, "Oh ok, well you'll have to make it up to me sometime."

At the docking bay terminal Sheldon scanned the flight log a few times. "Thats perplexing, there are no flights listed for the north quadrant."

Sheldon stopped one of the workers at the docking bay to ask, "Excuse me, when will the flights from the north quadrant be returning."

The man let out a laugh, "The north quadrant is a one way ticket." The man could see the seriousness in Sheldon's expression and tried to reassure him. "But don't worry all flights to that region have been suspended due to known hostiles in the area."

Sheldon's heart sank, he tried to convince himself that Amy was safe and was probably back in the lab with Risa. Just as he was about to leave, Sheldon saw people running up to the control center. He knew it wasn't his place but his instincts told him to follow.

The minute he stepped into the control center he knew that something was very wrong. The surrounding monitors flashed, orders were being called out from all directions.

"Their surrounded by hostiles sir…"

"….they can't out run them their too close."

"Too far out for reinforcements…"

Sheldon swallowed hard, there was too much to take in. His eyes fell on a screen displaying the names on the flight manifest. His hands started to shake when he found Amy's name.

Sheldon grabbed the uniform of the closest person nearby.

"Get my team up here now!," Sheldon ordered.

The man he grabbed looked at the insignia on Sheldon's uniform and nodded.

Trying his best to fully understand the situation Sheldon asked, "What ship model are they in?"

The man Sheldon spoke to did a double take, "What? What are you… your not authorized to be here!"

Sheldon clenched his fists and repeated his question, anger creeping into his voice, "What ship model are they in?"

As he waited for a response Sheldon could see his teammates flood the room. They stood in shock never having been exposed to this type of situation before.

"Z-3 Battlecruiser…" The man stuttered.

Sheldon took a quick mental inventory of the ships capabilities. It's a stronger model, it could work.

Sheldon quickly went into action and looked towards his team, "Hows the link holding up?"

"It's weak, but it's there."

They had never seen him so serious before, "You better keep that link up!"

Sheldon asked more questions, "How far out are they?"

"About a quarter of a light year sir."

Pointing to three others, "You three start bypassing the security system. We need to load the δέλτα equation."

His teammates eyes grew wide with the realization of what their Commander was attempting to do.

"Sir, that's experimental!"

Unwavering, "There close enough to where it should work. Besides what other choice do we have?!"

Someone was sitting at the console that Sheldon needed to use. Trying his best to at least keep an outward look of composure he approached the person at the console and started to explain who he was, "Im the Commander of Alpha Quadrant-020, we need to load-"

"Sir there about to take another hit!"

Whatever patience Sheldon had left immediately evaporated, "Move over!"

Sheldon with laser focus worked quickly to link up the equation into the system. He was careful not to make even the slightest error.

Back on the ship Amy and Risa screams were muffled by the loud crashing noises around them. The lights were flashing off and on and the battle fleet officers were yelling over each other. The ship shook violently and Amy was thrown against the floor. Managing to reach Risa, they huddled close together clenching at each other in terror.

One of the crewmen, "Zen, they want us to put in all the ship's power and make a go of it."

Zen was unable to make sense of this, "Theres no way we can out run them the ships been severely damaged!"

"They're saying we don't need to out run them we just need to get ahead."

Zen shook his head in disbelief, the evidence at hand gave a clear depiction that they were most likely not going to make it out alive. But if that's what they want him to do, that's what he'll do.

The ship shook violently from taking another hit. If Amy had known the trip was going to turn out this way she would have never left Sheldon's side. She could feel the ship accelerating through the endless round of attacks. Fear and regret ran through her, feeling hopeless Amy shielded her eyes as she screamed.

_FLASH_

Just like that everything stopped, aside from the sound of their own heavy breathing it was quiet. Zen stood in shock at what he seen before him. "This is impossible, we were too far out…"

Amy finding the courage to see what was going on slowly stood up and approached the front of the ship. She thought maybe at some point she had gone unconscious, "We're…. we're home?"


	6. Chapter 6

As Amy walked into the docking bay terminal she clutched at the sharp pain in her side. She wondered if she might have a broken rib. Looking around the terminal Amy saw Sheldon, his eyes already locked on hers. Amy couldn't help but smile to herself, relief spreading through her entire body. She didn't think she would be alive to ever see Sheldon again.

Sheldon stood unmoving, still shaken but relieved that Amy appeared to be ok. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Amy wrapping her arms around him in a hug. At first Sheldon stood there with his arms by his sides, but slowly he allowed himself to wrap his arms around her in return. For a brief moment he closed his eyes and got lost in the feeling of holding Amy.

Releasing the hug, Sheldon stepped back and looked her over, he needed to make sure Amy wasn't seriously injured in any way. But seeing her wince at the pain in her side he was reminded just how close Amy was to death.

"I was so scared I thought-" before Amy could finished Sheldon cut her off.

"How could you be so careless!," he scolded.

Surprised by his anger Amy responded, "I don't know what happened, before I knew it we were surrounded."

"When you told me you were going to the north quadrant you failed to mention important details, since when do you start hiding things from me?"

Amy tried to explain, "No, it wasn't like that, I didn't know!"

"You boarded a battlecruiser headed to a closed quadrant with six battle fleet officers in full uniform and you're trying to tell me that at no point did you see any red flags?" Sheldon looked towards Amy in disbelief.

Amy realizing the truth in Sheldon's words turned her gaze to the floor. Once he said it out loud she had to admit her actions did seem quite foolish.

Sheldon could feel his emotions starting to bubble up. He felt as if he could unravel at any moment and didn't want Amy to see him in that condition.

His voice slightly softening, "You need to go to the infirmary."

"Sheldon…"

"Go to the infirmary Amy," Sheldon repeated as he turned around and walked away.

Needing to get away from everything to sort out his thoughts, Sheldon walked back to his quarters. When he woke up this morning he had no idea his day would turn out this way. In the bathroom, Sheldon splashed water on his face. He looked at his hands which were still shaking.

What if he had been too late? For some reason Sheldon couldn't fight off the imaginary image of Amy in danger and being unable to do anything to save her. The thought made his heart rate increase. Sheldon tried to remind himself that Amy was safely home and that he had held her in his very arms just moments ago.

Leaning against the sink he breathed deeply a few times to help calm his nerves. Since the first day of recruitment Amy has always been by his side. Sheldon had never been close to anyone before, he didn't need any friends. At least that was what he thought before he met Amy. Everything about her felt effortless, like they've always been friends, even though Sheldon knew they had only met one cycle ago. She understood him more than anyone could have and today he was close to losing her forever.

"What was she thinking? Running off on an uncharted flight with a bunch of buffoons…"

Logically he knew that he shouldn't have intervened but his instincts told him to keep Amy safe at any cost. Sheldon looking at the space next to his reflection in the mirror wondered if that's what it would be like to lose Amy, a constant emptiness by his side.

* * *

The next day came quickly, Amy sat in the lab getting ready to run more tests. Her thoughts drifted to Sheldon and how angry he was yesterday. Amy decided that Sheldon had every right to be upset, in hindsight she should have never gone out there.

Amy had tried to talk to Sheldon this morning but he had brushed her off and said that he needed to be somewhere. She secretly wondered if he was still angry and if he was avoiding her.

"Still no word from a certain Commander?" Risa asked.

Amy surprised by her question, "How did you know?"

"I saw you two yesterday, he seemed pretty upset," Risa trying to comfort Amy continued, "but don't worry, he'll come around."

Trying to distract herself, Amy sorted through her test files. She didn't want to give up on the rook Sheldon had given her but she was starting to think it was a dead-end. Not to mention that every time she looked at the rook she felt overly embarrassed.

Trying a modified form of the green liquid, she once again poured it over the rook. As she placed the rook under the high tunneling microscope as she has done over a hundred other times, Amy couldn't help but have low expectations.

Amy watched the display as it appeared to show nothing but a blank screen. Just before she was going to stop the test she had thought for a split second that she had seen an image. Unsure if it was her mind playing tricks on her, Amy played back the display recording. Amy gasped at what she saw, it was faint but it was there. If you looked closely at the image on the display you could catch the outline of the rook moving over a checker board. With a shaky voice Amy called out to the rest of her team so they could confirm her findings.

* * *

Sheldon knew it was only a matter of time before he was called to the Captains office. He broke protocol and he knew there would be consequences. When he entered Captain Aero's office, already seated inside was Captain Stone who oversaw battle fleet and Zen who leaned against the wall. Sheldon couldn't help but eye Zen with disdain.

Sheldon folded his arms not bothering to take a seat and once the door was closed Captain Aero started, "Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on!"

Sheldon immediately turned towards Zen, "You took two researches out to a region that you knew was swarming with hostiles."

Zen not even phased by the accusation, "They wanted to go to the north quadrant, so we took them to the north quadrant. I had brought a few members of the team for reinforcements, I didn't think it would be anything we couldn't handle."

"Didn't think it would be anything you couldn't handle?," Sheldon repeated with cynicism. Unable to hide the anger creeping into his voice he continued, "You put lives in danger!"

"Everything turned out fine and besides what about you?" Zen started as he pointed a finger at Sheldon, "You used experimental wormhole technology knowing that there was no guarantee that it would work. One tiny mistake and that wormhole could have collapsed right on top of us."

Standing at full height and squaring his shoulders Sheldon responded, "Curving time and space is what I do, it's why I was recruited into the program because I am but one of the small percentile of people who understand the science behind it. All you needed to do was watch a monitor for flashing lights, how hard could that be?"

Zen feeling insulted took a step towards Sheldon, but before he could do anything Captain Aero intervened and separated the two.

It was Captain Stones turn, "Sheldon you went outside protocol and exposed our wormhole technology to the hostiles. You better believe that they are going to do whatever they can to get it."

"I couldn't just sit there and let them die."

"My men are fully prepared to die for the better of the fleet."

"I wasn't doing it for them!" Sheldon blurted out.

Captain Aero trying to calm the tension in the room, "Whats done is done. As far as the hostiles, were just going to have to take extra precautions. And as far as punishments go…" Captain Aero paused to look at the two men who stood before him, "Captain Stone agrees that even though you both used very poor judgement, Sheldon you are not suspended and neither is Zen or his men. Now more than ever we need you both at your posts."

"What bout Amy and Risa?" Sheldon asked.

"Their also fine, Zen admitted that they didn't know it was a closed quadrant."

Sheldon clenched his jaw as he looked at Zen out of the corner of his eye.

Ending the discussion, Captain Aero dismissed the two men from his office. As Sheldon made his way to the stairwell and Zen made his way to the lift, not even bothering to look in Zen's direction Sheldon spoke,

"Stay away from Amy."

Zen rolled his eyes, "You don't out rank me."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but lets keep moving forward...**

"When was the last time you've eaten?"

Amy fully focused on her work just shrugged her shoulders, "This morning…"

Risa turned off the display Amy was watching, "Risa!"

"You haven't eaten since this morning? You better run down to the mess hall there about to close the line for the day."

Amy looked back at Risa to see if she was teasing. Had the day really gone by that quickly? Placing her hand against her stomach she heard it grumble. Amy quickly gathered up her things, if she got down there fast enough maybe she could catch up with Sheldon before he left.

Having taken a seat at one of the empty tables Sheldon reviewed the teams latest report. He held off on eating just in case Amy was able to join him. He felt guilty the way they had left things the other day. Sheldon hoped that he could apologize and put the whole incident behind him and get back to their normal routine. Checking the math on an equation, he heard the sound of a food tray being placed in front of him.

The corners of Sheldon's lips curved up into a smile, "Perfect timing, I was starting to get hungry."

"Your welcome Commander."

Sheldon looked up and to his surprise it wasn't Amy as he had anticipated. Instead, it was Seven who stared back at him.

Seven laid the utensils down next to his tray, "I apologize for disrupting you in the middle of your work but I just wanted to check and see how you were doing. I heard a rumor you almost got suspended."

Sheldon unsure what to say, "Fortunately, they've kept me in the program and I'm still a Commander. Again I apologized for putting the team in a difficult position, but I really had no other choice."

"No ones questioning your judgement sir."

Hesitant at first, Seven looked back at Sheldon and gave a hopeful smile, "Since I'm already here, do you mind if I join you?"

Sheldon unable to come up with a good excuse on why she couldn't gestured to the open seat across from him, "I don't see why not."

Picking up the utensils Sheldon started to examine the food she brought, "Thank you for the food."

Feeling pleased with herself Seven looked back at him and beamed. Glancing in her direction Sheldon couldn't help but feel awkward. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Seven's company, it's just that when he looked across the table he expected to see brown hair instead of black, green eyes instead of blue. An uncomfortable silence passed between them. Sheldon knew he was no good at making small talk so instead he busied himself with his food.

Amy peered into the mess hall, at the end of the day it was always crowded with people who wanted to get in their last meal before the line closed. Looking between the crowd Amy spotted him, perfect posture, report in hand, his preferred table by the window, she could spot him from a mile away. Amy walked excitedly towards Sheldon's table, she was still reeling from her latest breakthrough and couldn't wait to tell him. Amy's pace suddenly slowed and her smile quickly faded from her face. As she got closer she realized that Sheldon wasn't alone. Amy instantly recognized the woman with the long black hair, it was the same woman Amy had seen Sheldon talking to a few days ago.

Amy has never officially met Seven but she couldn't stop the jealousy that grew inside her. She couldn't help but notice how Seven leaned into Sheldon, her smile and the way she looked at him. She knew the meaning behind that look, it was the same look Amy gave him.

Seven finished reading the page Sheldon had pointed out, "Your right, it is wrong. The first half of the string is fine, but near the end is where it starts to drop off…" Seven looked up at Sheldon and noticed his focus was elsewhere.

Amy didn't want to disrupt whatever they were having so she stood there and thought of what to do. Before she could turn around and leave she noticed that Sheldon had already spotted her. Swallowing the lump in her throat Amy slowly walked towards him.

Seven, trying to get Sheldon's focus back, "It's really impressive how your able to memorize so many complex equations."

"I have an eidetic memory…" his voice trailed off.

Sheldon watched as Amy approached the table.

"Hi Shel-Commander.…" Unsure what to do or say next, Amy bit her lip out of nervousness.

Seven looking between the two, pushed out her chair to stand up, "I was actually just leaving." She gazed back at Sheldon and smiled, "Thanks for dinner Commander, when you get back to work I'll help you fix that equation."

Amy watched Seven leave, did she just interrupt a dinner date? Was this part of her punishment, make a mistake and you get replaced? Whatever this was between Sheldon and Seven, Amy could already feel a sadness coming over her, she knew she wasn't ready to hear the details. Amy trying to come up with excuse to leave, "They've already closed the line, I think I'll just head back to work."

Sheldon pushed his tray over to the other side of the table. "Nonsense, you can share with me."

Taken off guard, Amy had no choice but to sit down.

"Here, I didn't use this one." Sheldon said as he handed her a utensil.

Amy slowly picked at the food in front of her. _Thanks for dinner commander_, she had heard the other woman say. Did Sheldon buy her dinner? This was the first time Sheldon shared his meal with Amy and as much as she wanted to enjoy the moment, she couldn't help but feel like it was tainted in someway.

Sheldon's posture stiffened, Amy seemed unusually quiet, he couldn't help but wonder if it was because of how he reacted the other day.

"Are you okay? You seem awfully quiet."

Amy snapped her head up, "Did you say something? Sorry, I must be a little tired, I've been working a lot since…." she didn't bother to finish her sentence.

"Amy, is this about…"

Amy braced herself for what she was about to hear. She honestly did want to know what was going on between him and Seven, she just wasn't sure she was ready to hear those details right this minute.

Sheldon continued, "… how I lost my temper the other day?"

Surprised, Amy looked back at him and allowed him to finish.

"I first and foremost want to apologize, I was under a lot of stress and said a lot of things and I only meant most of them."

He was apologizing to her? Amy couldn't help but laugh internally out of relief.

In a reassuring voice she responded, "You were right, everything you said that day was true. But thank you for apologizing anyways."

Amy could see Sheldon's posture relax and she watched him take a bite of food. Seeing him smile back at her immediately put Amy at ease. Whatever was going on with Seven, Amy was here now with Sheldon and that's all that mattered.

Allowing her excitement to return, "The rook you gave me, we got an image!" Sheldon continued to eat as he listened while Amy brought him up to speed.

Finishing her explanation she added, "The next step is to test our new theory. The reason the rook did not initially return any images was because its memories lay dormant. When we played round after round of chess that one night we awakened those memories. We also theorize that the stronger the memory the stronger the image."

"I'm intrigued, your right that's definitely something to be excited about and all from that rook." Not that she needed it, but Amy beamed at Sheldon giving positive acknowledgment on her work.

Sheldon paused in thought, unsure if this was the best time to bring this up, but he figured sooner was better than later.

"Speaking of, I think I have an idea of why you were acting strange that night."

"That night?" Amy froze.

"You know that night, when we were playing chess and you started undressing-"

Before Sheldon could finish Amy cut in, "We both know what happened you don't need to say it out loud!"

Amy's cheeks immediately blushed, the feeling of embarrassment once again taking over. She still couldn't figure out what had happened to her that night so she sat quietly and listened to what Sheldon had to say.

"That night, I think we both can agree that you were not your normal self and you lost control…" Sheldon failed to find better words to explain.

Amy fighting through her embarrassment simply nodded.

"I have a theory and it explains so much", Sheldon went through his checklist, "The way you looked at me that night, not being able to control your actions…"

He paused a moment as Amy waved to someone. Sheldon following her gaze, couldn't help but shoot Zen a look before continuing, "Your lack of good judgement…"

Her curiosity was peaked, "What do you think it is?"

Sheldon closed his eyes and willed himself to say the words.

"It's mating season."

* * *

Sheldon walked Amy back to her quarters. Amy couldn't help but repeat Sheldon's words with skepticism.

"Mating season?"

A jumble of emotions ran through her body, embarrassment, mortification, offense, pick one.

Sheldon went on to explain, "Every 16 cycles our three moons move into alignment which as you may or may not know is considered a sacred time by the Elders."

Amy furrowed her brow as he continued, "And during that time it's said that if a man and a woman marry underneath the alignment that vow carries on through eternity."

"Marry under the alignment, that has to be approved by the Oracle and that's really rare."

"So your familiar with it?"

Amy blushed, was she familiar with it? Did she spend nights fantasizing that one day Sheldon would ask her for the sheer fact that he was too busy and it was a convenient solution? They already knew each other and got along well. Was it wrong to think of your best friend in that way? She was a woman after all she didn't live in the lab. Of course, she wasn't going to say all those things out loud.

"I think I heard Risa mention something one time." Amy lied.

As they approached the entrance to Amy's quarters she entered the password to unlock the door.

"Sheldon, I really don't think…"

Sheldon didn't let her finish, "So my theory is, the reason why you started to undress before me that one night is because the three moons are moving into alignment and your subconscious is seeking a mate."

As if her cheeks couldn't get any redder, "For an intelligent man, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth."

"We weren't alive during the last alignment, how do we know that this isn't a normal occurrence? Just yesterday a female worker in the mess hall asked if I wanted an extra serving of dessert." Sheldon gave Amy a look as if he expected her to connect the dots.

Amy rolled her eyes, "Thanks for walking me."

"You just have to make it through the season and you'll be back to your normal self."

Amy shook her head at a loss for words.

"Amy wait!" Amy turned around from the other side of the door.

Sheldon with a serious expression, "When your around me, do you feel an uncontrollable need to bear my children?"

Amy's eyes went wide, "Goodbye Sheldon."

She slammed the door in his face.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It may seem like I am all over the place with this story but I promise I am following an outline.**

In the lab Amy kept looking towards Risa's direction. She worked away in quiet contemplation trying to muster up the courage to ask. What if Sheldon was right, what if somehow the alignment was affecting her. Amy took a deep breath before calling out to her teammate.

"Risa can I ask you a personal question?"

Risa offering a smile, "Absolutely."

"Have you been feeling strange lately? Maybe doing things out of the ordinary or feeling like you can't control your own thoughts?"

Risa gave a perplexed look that showed she was unsure what Amy was asking.

Amy trying her best to clarify, "I mean, do you find yourself thinking about finding a mate more often these days?"

Risa paused a moment to let the question sink in before she burst into laughter.

"Are you asking me if I think of men? Sure I do, but that's only natural isn't it?"

Amy mentally scolded herself for allowing a tiny part of her to believe that Sheldon could have been right. Mating season? Not only was it an extremely far-fetched idea, it was the most ridiculous theory Amy has ever heard. Just because Sheldon is a highly intelligent man doesn't mean that he's always right.

Risa trying to stifle her laughter, "But don't worry Amy, I know the Alpha Quadrant Commander is off-limits." Amy looked back at her teammate with her mouth slightly hanging open. Risa with a large grin continued, "If you want my advice, just tell him. He seems like the type of person you need to be direct with."

Amy fumbled for a response, "Oh no, Sheldon and I…I mean the Commander… Alpha Quadrant… were just friends."

Risa unconvinced by Amy's words, "If you had the chance to see him naked, would you look?"

Amy trying to hide her blush could see that Risa was giving her a knowing look. Amy realized that it was pointless to deny it any further, "Fine, its true. I do have feelings for him…"

"I knew it!"

"But its not that simple." Amy added.

Risa took a seat next to Amy and bounced with excitement in her chair. "Why not? You know, for the longest time I thought you two were pair bonded."

"He only sees me as his friend and I'm almost certain that he has feelings for someone else."

Noticing the sadness behind Amy's eyes, Risa's excitement quickly dissolved. She sat quietly waiting for Amy to explain.

Amy continued, "The other day in the mess hall, I interrupted a dinner date…"

Risa's eyes went wide, she reached out her hand and placed it on top of Amy's to try to comfort her "Oh Amy, I'm so sorry."

Curiosity winning over Risa asked, "Whats she like, is she pretty?"

Amy gave a nod as she started to describe Seven, "I don't know her personally, but she has long black hair, she's on the Alpha Quadrant team so she's intelligent, she has deep blue eyes and a nice smile…"

Risa making a face, "She sounds awful."

Amy couldn't help but let out a laugh, she was thankful for Risa and that she finally had someone to confide in.

* * *

Sheldon lay in bed lost in thought as he stared up at the ceiling. Throughout the course of his friendship with Amy they had never gotten into any serious arguments. Sheldon was thankful that Amy was able to forgive him so easily and that they could go back to how they were.

Getting out of bed to get ready for the day Sheldon nearly tripped on something on his way to the bathroom. Looking down at the floor to see what it was he noticed a beaded bag. Letting out a defeated sigh, "Amy, you could have at least left your bag someplace where I wasn't in danger of breaking my neck." He picked up the beaded bag and placed it on his table.

Risa scanned thought Amy's files, "Wow you have so many, which one are you going to try?"

Amy reached over to open one of the files for Risa, "I have plenty to choose from, they're all just extremely embarrassing."

Risa reading over the test file, "What are you going to use as your trigger?"

"I asked Sheldon to help me. All he has to do is stand there and tell me how much he likes me and soon after tell me that he was just kidding. It's straightforward but I think it will be enough to bring the memory to the surface to get a good image."

Risa shook her head, "Why do you choose to torture yourself?"

Sheldon made his way down the hall towards Amy's lab, "Commander, could I have a minute of your time?"

Sheldon slowed his stride and turned towards the all too familiar voice.

Seven catching up with him, "I apologize for disturbing you while your off duty, but I was hoping that we could get together and run through the remaining equations for the week?"

Sheldon wondered why Seven didn't bring this up while he was on duty during the majority of the day, "Can this wait until another time?"

"It could, but were making a lot of headway and considering were behind on our timetable I was hoping we could meet so we can get back on schedule."

Sheldon took into consideration what Seven said about being behind, "Your desire to get back on track is commendable. I suppose for the sake of the team I could spare the time. I have to be somewhere now but we can meet at my console in a half hour."

Seven smiled brightly, "Ok great! See you in a few Commander."

Sheldon pushed the door open to Amy's lab, he was immediately greeted with the sounds of a woman sobbing.

Risa shuddered as she sobbed and held out her arm so Amy could draw her blood. Amy patting her on the back, "All done, you better head home early and sleep it off."

Risa stood up and gathered her things, she gave Amy a hug before heading out the door. Unsure what was going on, Sheldon moved out-of-the-way so Risa could leave.

"What is going on in here?" Sheldon asked as he watched the door close.

Amy showed Sheldon a small vial of blood, "Were gathering test samples." Sheldon quickly averted his eyes to the ceiling. It wasn't something he advertised but the sight of blood makes him feel queasy.

"Your experimenting on yourselves?"

"It's the only way we can focus the memories and see if our theory is correct." Amy looked over at Sheldon who seemed a little pale. "Do you have any qualms against human experimentation?"

Sheldon shook his head, "Not necessarily, but what exactly do you need me to help with?"

Amy went on to explain, "When I was younger I had a crush on this boy, unbeknownst to me these girls who I thought were my friends convinced him to kiss me and say that he liked me. When I finally found out that it was all a ruse it left me completely humiliated and I cried for a week."

"I think I'm following, you've asked me to help you because you need a way to enhance the memories of that day."

He looked back at Amy cautiously before continuing, "You need me to kiss you?"

That wasn't exactly what she had planned.

Amy could see that Sheldon was waiting for her response, "Precisely…."

Amy trying to sound as clinical as possible, "You just have to press your lips against mine for a few seconds and after I'll draw my blood. Any questions?"

"Yes, who was this guy?"

Amy waved off his question as she prepared the items behind her. Picking up a vial of green liquid she held it against her lips and drank it.

"Is that safe?"

"Perfectly safe, it enhances the atoms vibrational frequencies. If I end up crying hysterically like Risa just help me back to my quarters so I can sleep it off."

Sheldon gave a nod in understanding.

Amy turned towards Sheldon and closed her eyes, "Ready when you are."

She stood still for a few moments before she slowly allowed her eyes to reopen. She looked over at Sheldon who remained motionless. Having second thoughts, Amy was starting to feel guilty for being misleading and putting him in an uncomfortable position. "We don't have to Sheldon. I'm certain I can come up with another way."

Sheldon taking in Amy's words, another way? Did she mean asking someone else to help her with her experiment, like that brainless lump of meat over in battle fleet? There was no way that Sheldon would allow that. The thought of Zen's lips touching Amy's made his blood boil.

"No, its fine…"

Sheldon swallowed hard before continuing, "I'll admit that it's a little outside my comfort zone but if you think it will help your research I'll do it."

Amy watched as Sheldon slowly made his way over to her. She held onto the table behind her to hide her nervousness. Sheldon slowly leaned in and could see Amy close her eyes, he closed his in return. Hesitant, he gently pressed his lips against hers and began to count.

It was awkward at first, but as soon as their lips touched Amy could feel the fog coming back. It once again consumed her just as it had the night they played chess. After counting off a handful of seconds Sheldon pulled away. He looked at Amy and noticed that she stared back at him with her eyes glazed over.

"Amy?"

"I miss kissing you…" Amy said as she put her hands on Sheldon's chest before leaning in for another kiss.

This time she pressed her lips firmly to his. Without thought Sheldon responded by mirroring her movements. Out of instinct he put his hands on her hips and drew Amy closer to him. Lost in the moment, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Sheldon could taste the sweetness of the green liquid she had drunk just moments before. Amy let out a soft moan against his lips, Sheldon responded by wrapping his arms around her waist holding her body against his. It felt like his heart was pounding out of his chest. Sheldon knew that he needed to regain control before he became completely undone.

Managing to break away from her kiss, "Amy…"

"Don't you miss me?"

Sheldon turned his head away as Amy placed kisses down his neck.

Once again closing his eyes, he focused on the feeling of her soft lips against his skin. Every kiss felt like it was inviting him in. It took everything inside himself to hold back.

With a shaky voice he manage to say, "Amy… please stop…"

Hearing his words Amy slowly pulled away and looked back at him questioningly.

Sheldon trying to get her to regain her focus, "You need to draw your blood."

Realizing what he was saying Amy slowly started to regain her senses. Amy turned around and drew some of her blood into a small vial. She looked over at Sheldon who was straightening out his uniform. She couldn't help but notice the redness in his lips. Did she just lose control again?

"Are you mad at me?"

Sheldon trying his best to reassure her, "Of course not…"

Amy didn't know what had just happened between them, she just knew she didn't want to be away from him.

"If you wait for me to close down the lab, I can go with you."

Sheldon reluctantly shook his head, "I can't, I told Seven I would meet her."

The sadness returned behind Amy's eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I am struggling with major writers block, this small chapter was a struggle. I know what I want to happen but sometimes I have trouble translating it onto the page. But regardless, lets keep moving forward...**

_Sheldon pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, taking a moment to examine the red fabric between his fingers. It seemed odd because he didn't remember changing. Slowly taking in his surroundings, he didn't know where he was? This place seemed foreign but at the same time it felt very familiar. _

_As he turned around he realized he wasn't alone, he immediately recognized her. Sheldon was relieved to see Amy but something appeared to be different. She had the same long brown hair but she wore clothes he's never seen before. She had the same green eyes but why were they behind glasses?_

_"Amy?"_

_Sheldon could see Amy's lips moving as if she were trying to tell him something but he couldn't hear any of her words. She was close enough for Sheldon to reach out and touch but at the same time she felt so far away. _

_"Where are we?" he asked, but Amy didn't respond, she just stared back at him and smiled. _

_Sheldon was starting to grow apprehensive something didn't feel right, they shouldn't be here. Reaching out his hand towards her, "Come on Amy, we need to go back."_

_Instead of taking his hand, Amy turned and walked towards a hallway. Sheldon watched as Amy walked further and further down the hall, she stopped and looked over her shoulder, telling him to follow. _

_"No don't, we should go back, were not supposed to be here."_

_Sheldon reluctantly followed Amy down the hall, all he wanted to do was get her and leave this strange place. Turning the corner he found himself in front of a closed-door, Amy must have gone in there. His hand lingered on the door knob before slowly pushing the door open. He was immediately greeted by a blinding light and had to hold up his arm to shield his eyes against the brightness. _

_"Amy, where are you?"_

_Every step he took into the room it grew hotter and hotter._

_Desperation filled Sheldon's voice as he once again called out for Amy, "Where are you?"….Amy?!"_

_Walking further into the room searching for her, Sheldon felt like his skin was on fire. The feeling of hopelessness was starting take over. _

_"AMY?!", he screamed out her name in a panic. _

Sheldon jolted out of his sleep, covered in sweat. His heart rate was increased and his breathing was heavy. He looked around his room searching for Amy. It took a moment for him to realize where he was, he was back in his quarters. Rubbing the palms of his hands against his eyes, he took deep breaths to help calm himself down.

Sheldon knew that at this time Amy was most likely sound asleep but he needed to see for himself that she was safe. Throwing on a pair of slacks and not caring that he was only wearing his undershirt, Sheldon headed towards Amy's quarters.

Standing in front of Amy's door, he remembered back to the dream and how he held on to the door knob. Looking at Amy's door, there was no knob, all doors here used a key pad that controlled the locking mechanism which allowed the door to pushed open. Sheldon furrowed his brow as he thought about it.

It was late and under normal circumstances he always knocked before entering but he didn't want to wake her. Entering the password on the key pad, Sheldon gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness he could see Amy's silhouette as she lay in bed. Quietly making his way over to her he kneeled down to check on her. Amy was here and she was safe. Sheldon brushed the back of his fingers against Amy's cheek, she stirred against his touch. Sitting by the bed, Sheldon listened to the sound of Amy's light breathing. He kept reminding himself that Amy was safe and that it was just a horrible nightmare.

* * *

Amy touched her fingers to her lips, thinking back to the kiss she shared with Sheldon. She never thought she would ever find an opportunity to kiss him until that day and of all people to suggest a kiss it had been him. Sure, she could have corrected him, but she wasn't sorry that she didn't. Amy wondered if Sheldon had kissed other girls that way.

"Is that her?"

Amy followed Risa's gaze, "For the third time, she has black hair and blue eyes. That woman clearly has red hair."

Risa shrugged her shoulders, "She could have changed hair colors for all I know."

While Risa was on the lookout for Seven, Amy let her mind drift back to Sheldon. She hasn't seen him in four days. Amy decided that if Sheldon was avoiding her because of the kiss they shared, she was going to blame it on the alignment, there's no way Sheldon could refute his own theory.

Risa shaking Amy's elbow, "Amy, her?!"

Amy watched Seven walk into the mess hall. "Thats her… I wonder if she's meeting-"

Risa stood up, "Im going to go talk to her."

Amy trying to stop her, "No, Risa!" Amy's plea went ignored.

Risa picked up a tray and got behind Seven in line. Amy was right, she was pretty. Risa couldn't help but eye Sevens outfit, she was out of uniform and wore a very low-cut top.

Casually bumping her from behind, "Oh, I'm sorry."

Seven gave Risa a charming smile, "It's fine."

Trying her best to strike up a conversation, Risa searched for something to say, "You're on the Alpha Quadrant team, right? I have a friend on that team."

Seven gave a nod, "Oh really, who? It's a pretty small team…"

Risa realizing that this conversation was unraveling before it even begun, "He's about this tall.. wow that's a lot of food you got there, you must be really hungry!"

Seven unable to hide her excitement, "Its actually for two, I'm meeting someone. This is the first time I'll be eating in his quarters so I'm a little nervous."

Risa's eyes narrowed as she watched Seven pay for her food. She had a good guess who that 'someone' could be.

"Nice meeting you."

"You too…" Risa managed to say as she watched Seven head towards the exit.

Amy anxiously waited for Risa to walk back to her table, "Well? What did she say?"

"Nothing intelligent," Risa linked her arm with Amy's, "lets head back to the lab."

Hearing a knock at the door Sheldon got up to answer. Seven greeted him with her usual smile and he stepped aside to allow her to enter.

Seven could see that the dark circles under Sheldon's eyes had gotten worse.

As her Commander, Sheldon immediately noticed that Seven was out of uniform,

"You look…different…"

"I'm technically not working on any items for the team so I decided to change," Seven said as she looked around Sheldon's quarters.

"Thank you for volunteering to get me food. I haven't been sleeping well these past few nights and I'm exhausted."

Taking a seat on Sheldon's bed, "No problem Commander, anything you need, I'm here for you…" Seven finished with a flirty grin.

Sheldon was unsure why Seven decided to sit on his bed when there was a perfectly empty chair next to it but he was too tired and too worn out to decipher whatever message she was trying to convey. Sheldon just wanted to eat some food and manage a few hours of sleep without having that awful reoccurring nightmare about Amy.

"I'll keep that in mind and I'll reimburse you for the food."

One of the perks to being a Commander is that being polite wasn't a requirement, "If you don't mind…" Sheldon held the door open.

Seven stood and walked towards the open door, frowning in disappointment, "You sure you don't need me to stay Commander?"

Sheldon shook his head, "Thanks again for the food and I'll see you tomorrow in uniform."

* * *

"Forget about him? We're best friends, we've known each other since…. well only one cycle ago, but it feels like we've know each other forever."

Risa gave Amy a concerned look, "Im just saying, you shouldn't put your life on hold waiting for him to notice you. If he's off having fun with someone else, than you should have fun too, let him know what he's missing out on."

Amy watched as Risa put her blood under the microscope and they anxiously waited for what the display would return.

Risa let out a frustrated sigh, "I cried for hours that day and that's all I got? A few squiggly lines!"

It was Amy's turn, she put a sample of her blood under the microscope and waited for something, anything to appear on the display.

"You know Amy, sometimes I feel like we are just wasting our time…"

Amy's shoulders sank in disappointment.

Risa looking over at her, "Well?"

"Nothing… It didn't return anything…"

Risa walked over to look at Amy's display. Amy couldn't help but feel defeated.

"Thats not nothing Amy, if it was nothing the screen would be blank."

Risa went over to adjust the settings on the microscope. Amy looked again at the display, Risa was right, if it was nothing the screen would be totally blank, but instead the display returned pixels upon pixels of colors.

Coming to a realization, Risa turned to Amy excitedly, "Layers, these are layers! " Risa jumped around excitedly and grabbed Amy's hands, "Amy you returned more than one memory!"


	10. Chapter 10

Amy let herself into Sheldon's quarters, she paced around as she waited for him. Sheldon has been avoiding her and she wanted to find out why. They had always been close, but recently it feels as if Sheldon has been trying to push her away. Every time she tries to talk to him or leaves a message asking him to meet her, he always comes up with an excuse on why he can't.

Amy stared at the wall as she thought back to what Risa had told her. Risa had confessed to Amy that Sheldon had invited Seven to his quarters more than once. As just his friend, Amy knew that Sheldon had every right to invite over whoever he wanted. But she couldn't ignore the feeling of disappointment and the tightening she felt in her chest. Amy wondered if that was the reason Sheldon was pushing her away, he didn't have enough room in his life for her now that Seven was in the picture.

After a few hours wait, Amy heard the sound the keypad made from the outside. She watched as the door swung open. Sheldon taking a step into his quarters paused as his eyes found Amy's. Without saying anything he slowly closed the door behind him. Amy couldn't help but notice that he didn't exactly look excited to see her.

Sheldon shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Before he could manage to say anything Amy was the first one to break the silence.

"You've been avoiding me." It wasn't a question.

Taking in a breath, Sheldon knew that there was no way around this, Amy was here and she was waiting for an answer. "I wasn't necessarily avoiding you, I just needed time to clear my head."

Unsatisfied, Amy folded her arms. If Sheldon didn't want to be around her then she wanted him to tell her that. Biting the inside of her cheek Amy's eyes turned to look towards Sheldon's unmade bed. For as long as she has known him, Sheldon kept his bed in immaculate condition, everything was always perfectly neat and tidy.

"You need to be away from me to clear your head but you have no problem inviting Seven into your quarters."

Sheldon could hear the accusation laced in her voice, "What exactly are you implying?" Feeling defensive Sheldon tried to explain, "I haven't been sleeping well these past few nights and Seven has gone out of her way to try to help me."

Amy could feel the jealousy growing inside of her, "If you needed help, why didn't you ask me? I've known you for longer and we're friends aren't we?"

Silence once again passed between them. How could he go to Amy, what was he suppose to tell her? That he's been having horrible nightmares about her nearly every night. That he has reoccurring dreams about this strange place and that every time he has this dream he tries to stop Amy from going into the burning room only to fail. He hated feeling helpless and out of control, he hated the feeling of Amy being in danger and not being able to save her. He didn't understand it himself how could he possibly explain those things to her. Sheldon had thought if he had stayed away from Amy long enough the nightmares would taper off.

"Seven comes over to drop off my dinner and sometimes she stays to discuss the trajectory of our research projects. It helps to distract my mind."

Amy looked back at him in thought, Sheldon has never lied to her before so she had no reason to doubt him.

Once again looking towards Sheldon's unmade bed, "So you two just…. talk about work?"

"Yes, I'm her Commander what else would we be doing?"

"So its not that you don't want to be around me?"

Sheldon walked closer to her, "You know I enjoy your company."

Amy allowed her posture to soften, the last thing she wanted was to start a fight. She thought back to Risa's earlier advice and how she should just tell him how she feels. Sheldon searching Amy's eyes, "I don't like when you hide things, what are you not telling me?"

As Amy fought for the courage to tell him how she felt, there was a knock at the door.

Before Sheldon could react fast enough Amy had already beaten him to it. Amy allowed the door to open and she couldn't help but eye the woman who stood in front of her. Seven was out of uniform and wore a very tight form-fitting dress. Seven's smile disappeared as soon as her eyes landed upon Amy.

"I was bringing the Commander his food." Seven's gaze focused over Amy's shoulder as she searched behind her for Sheldon.

Realization hitting her, Amy could feel the tears forming in her eyes. That's right, Amy was just his friend and nothing more. Stepping out-of-the-way, "By all means come in, I know you two have a lot of 'work' to do." Amy turned towards Sheldon and gave him a piercing gaze before storming out of his quarters.

Sheldon called after her, "Amy wait…"

Amy didn't bother turning around, she didn't want them to see her cry.

* * *

Walking into the lab Amy could see Risa had fallen asleep against one of the displays. Amy gave her a gentle shake and Risa's eyes shot open.

"Have you been here all night?"

Stretching her arms over her head, "I've been working on separating those memories for you. It's really exciting, I wanted to see what they were."

"And?" Amy asked curiously.

"And…" Risa let out a huge grin, letting Amy stir in anticipation before finishing, "…I did it! The first few files are complete. The remaining ones are still running through the imager and should be done within the next few days."

Before she knew it Amy embraced the other woman in a hug, "Risa, you're such a good friend."

"I am a good friend aren't I?"

Standing up Risa guided Amy over to the display, "You might want to sit down for this…" Amy took a seat and anxiously waited for what she would see. Risa played back the first few images, Amy watching intently.

Risa with a serious tone, "What did you notice?"

"It's me but I would expect to see me its my atoms after all."

"Look closer…"

Amy turned back to the display, looking over the images again. The person on the screen looked just like her, but in some ways different. "The clothes I'm wearing and the items behind me… I don't remember where this is from…everything around me is unfamiliar."

"Exactly, I've been running through these images all night trying to figure it out. The glasses, the clothes you're wearing, the things around you, everything looks….old and primitive. It didn't make sense to me at first," Risa paused giving Amy a look, "that is until I watched the next image."

Absorbing Risa's words Amy eagerly waited for what she would see next. As the next image played on the screen, without realizing it Amy stopped breathing and her eyes grew wide. Unable to find any words Amy shook her head in disbelief.

"It's the Commander Amy, it looks just like him."

"There must be a mistake, Sheldon helped me with this experiment, his atoms must have transferred somehow…"

Risa shook her head, "No… if it was a separate memory of the Commanders you wouldn't be in it. You both appear on the image together, wearing the same type of clothes, standing in the same location."

Amy tried to make sense of all of this but all she could manage to do was stare at the screen in shock.

"Did you and the Commander know each other before?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders, "I only met him one cycle ago during my first day of recruitment."

"Think harder, is there any other way you two are tied together?"

Amy stuttered a response, "I suppose we both have origins to Ancient Earth, but there's no way that's impossible…"

Risa's eyebrows raised, the puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.

* * *

Amy went to her familiar hill-top right outside the grounds. During her first year of recruitment when she wasn't with Sheldon she would often come here just to look out at the distant stars and feel that invisible pull she has felt for as long as she can remember. The more Amy thought about it the sadder she became. She didn't know why it had left her, but she didn't feel it anymore. It felt like she was starting to lose everything, that familiar pull, her best friend, her future…

They had known each other before, 500 years ago in a different world and in a different time. They both traveled many lightyears across the universe together, it must have meant that they were important to each other, right? Amy allowed her thoughts to wander, whatever they had then, Sheldon had Seven now. Maybe in the later images she would see Seven and find out that she was the third wheel in that lifetime too.

"Whats so great about Seven anyways, that she's a prime number?" Amy picked up a nearby pebble and threw it has hard as she could.

Amy did want to tell Sheldon about their shared history so long ago, but what difference would it make? Just because they looked the same didn't mean that they were the same people they were back then.

Standing up to dust herself off Amy walked slowly back home. Scanning her card she walked through the entrance, staring off at nothing in particular.

"Security check, are you coming back from a closed quadrant?"

Amy was startled, she tried to focus on what was being said. Her eyes finding the man who stood before her, she couldn't help but allow one of the corners of her lips to turn up.

"Not funny Zen…"

Walking in stride with Zen, Amy turned towards him and spoke, "You know, I never thanked you for saving our lives. To this day I still don't know how you did it."

Zen gave Amy a cheeky grin, "You see these scars," Zen turned over his arms, "my life is always put on the line and somehow I always manage to stay alive. It comes from years of experience."

Zen looked over at Amy before continuing, "You know how you can thank me?" Amy waited for Zen to finish but instead all he did was to waggle his eyebrows suggestively.

"No!" Amy gesturing to his eyebrows, "I don't know what that means, but I'm not doing it."

"What?" Zen feigning his innocence, "I was just going to ask for a kiss." Zen tapped the side of one of his cheeks.

Amy rolled her eyes before leaning in and pressing her lips to the side of Zen's face.

Sheldon leaned against the wall, he had been waiting for Amy to return from wherever she went. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched at the sight before him. Apparently it wasn't something Amy was hiding, it was someone.


	11. Chapter 11

Sheldon headed down the hall towards the simulation room with his team. He didn't get any sleep the other night and it wasn't because of his nightmares. His mind repeatedly played back the image of Amy's lips pressed against a man who wasn't him. Not just any man either, it had to be that unintelligent buffoon, Zen. The same man who risked Amy's life by going to a closed quadrant.

Reaching the simulation room he held the door open for each of his teammates, that's when he noticed her. Why Amy was in the hall furthest away from the resonance lab he could only guess. Was she here to see him? That couldn't be the case, Amy wouldn't have known that they were running simulations today.

Thinking back to what he had saw the other day Sheldon knew he wasn't in the correct mindset to speak to Amy without sounding upset. Just as Sheldon was about to step into the simulation room the crowd in the hallway dissipated enough for Sheldon to get a good look at her.

Amy had wondered why Risa had insisted she take the West Hall on her way to see Zen. It was the long way around but Risa was adamant that Amy take this route. Looking down at her dress Amy smoothed the fabric beneath her hands. She rarely wore dresses but she had to admit the dress Risa had loaned her made her feel very pretty. Is this why Sheldon allowed Seven into his quarters because she was dressed this way? Noticing a shadow looming over her Amy slowly looked up, she was surprised to see Sheldon who glared back at her.

"Sheldon, what are you doing here?"

"We're running simulations today."

Sheldon briefly allowed his eyes to travel over Amy, examining her from head to toe before continuing, "I can ask you the same question in return, what are you doing here? Neither your lab nor your quarters is in this direction."

Amy hesitated before responding. She didn't know why she felt nervous about telling Sheldon where she was going. She knew she wasn't doing anything wrong and it was okay for her to have other friends. The fact that she was on her way to visit Zen was none of Sheldon's concern.

"Im on my way to visit a friend…" Amy tried to sound confident when she said it.

Sheldon's body tensed, there was only one other area the West Hall would lead to, the battle fleet sector. If Sheldon didn't have to run simulations today he would have insisted that he went with her especially the way she was dressed. She always looked beautiful but the dress she wore was a lot more revealing than her normal uniform. His mind taunted him by asking why she was going to see Zen, was it to finish where they left off the other night? Sheldon concentrated to keep up a clam exterior but he could feel the emotions bubbling up inside of him. He started to feel angry at Amy for hiding this from him. How long have they been seeing each other behind his back.

Trying to control the tone in his voice he asked, "Is there anything you wanted to tell me?"

Amy looked back at Sheldon, did Risa tell him about what they uncovered, the past life they shared so long ago? It was obvious that Sheldon knew she was hiding something and if she was reading his eyes correctly he was asking her to confess her crimes. As Amy stood silently Sheldon started to grow impatient.

"Where did you go the other night?"

Amy thought for a moment before responding, "I was on the hill-top just outside the grounds, why?"

"With who?"

His next question took Amy by surprise, "I was by myself…"

Amy stood there unable to understand the meaning behind Sheldon's demeanor. He let out a frustrated sigh and folded his arms, unable to hide his anger anymore.

"You call yourself my friend and yet you so easily lie to my face."

"You're accusing me of lying?" Amy felt hurt by his words, she was telling him the truth. If anyone had lied it was him. Amy shot back by accusing, "You said the other day that you weren't avoiding me. Just this morning I had seen you in the mess hall and I know you seen me but you didn't even acknowledge my presence. If anyones a bad friend, it's you."

There was no way he could deny it. Sheldon had seen her this morning but he wasn't ready to talk to her so he made a quick exit. His anger was fueled, she had the nerve to call him a bad friend when he has been nothing but open and honest with her.

Sheldon redirected the conversation, "I take it this friend you're referring to is Zen?" It was a rhetorical question he already knew the answer. Amy gave a quick nod, jealousy now set in as Sheldon once again spoke, "I forbid you to see him."

Amy felt insulted, first he calls her a liar then he tells her she can't be friends with Zen, "How dare you, he saved my life!"

"**He** saved your life?!" Sheldon's voice was now raised and the people around them were beginning to stare. He couldn't even fathom the words that were coming out of Amy's mouth.

Sheldon was so stunned that all he could do was stare back at her in disbelief. No longer able to look her in the eyes, his gaze drifted to her dress, if he had anything over Amy he at least out ranked her.

Sheldon with an authoritative voice, "You are out of uniform."

Amy stared daggers back at him, "I'm off duty…"

Amy couldn't stop the hurt she felt inside. When Seven wears a dress he doesn't even bat an eyelash but when she wears a dress suddenly he's looking for a reason to hand her a strike. All Amy wanted was for Sheldon to desire her the same way she desired him. Did he not think she look pretty at all?

As a man walked past them in the hall, Sheldon couldn't help but notice the mans eyes lingered on the hem of Amy's dress which only made it halfway down her thighs. Once the man looked up Sheldon made sure to catch his eye so he could give the man a death stare in return.

Shrugging off his jacket, he held it out to Amy, "Put this on."

"I don't need your jacket."

"I wasn't asking," Sheldon said with a stern voice.

Amy reluctantly took Sheldon's jacket but she didn't hide the fact that she was upset for the way he was treating her. Amy responded sarcastically, "Don't you like my dress Sheldon? I was in the mood for something appropriate for the season." Amy paused just long enough to show him that she was making a point. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to visit my friend." Amy finished as she nudged Sheldon aside and continued down the hall. Sheldon glared at Amy as he watched her walk away.

* * *

Back in the simulation room Sheldon stood at the front console before his team as he entered an equation into the simulator. He watched as the screen in front of him returned an error. The team shared looks, their Commander was normally always focused and organized and could rattle off whole strings of equations from memory. As the team stared back at their Commander they noticed he seemed exasperated and unfocused.

Sheldon thought back to his conversation with Amy. _Appropriate for the season_? There was only one season that Amy could be referring to and the mere thought of Amy being around Zen while she wore that dress made him infuriated. Zen lured Amy to a closed quadrant, where would he lure her next, his bed? Zen better keep his lower half to himself, Sheldon thought as he entered the equation again and again into the simulator only to continue to receive an error message.

She had thought that Zen had saved her life, Zen? Zen was the one who put her life in danger in the first place. Not only did Sheldon break protocol using classified technology, he nearly got suspended from the program and he didn't receive so much as a thank you from her. Though he had to confess that Amy wasn't exactly aware of those details. Sheldon had decided not to tell her because he didn't want her to worry or feel as if she owed him anything.

Sheldon's anxiety increased as he went through a number of scenarios that could be playing out between Amy and Zen. Sheldon received what must have been the 5th error message in a row as he entered the equation into the simulator.

"Why isn't this working?", Sheldon spat with all the frustration that was brewing inside of him.

His teammates jumped in their seats from their Commanders sudden outburst. One of the men from his team hesitantly stepped forward. With fear in his voice he spoke, "You're entering in the wrong equation Commander…" he managed to say before slowly slinking away.

* * *

Amy followed Zen as he showed her around. She had to admit that she was relieved Sheldon had given her his jacket because some of the looks the battle fleet officers were giving her made her feel uncomfortable.

Zen held up a weapon to show her, "You see this one, this was an enemy weapon retrieved from the last invasion. When we found this an arm was still attached to it."

Amy grew pale, she was a researcher and has never really been exposed to violence. But Amy knew that Zen and the rest of the battle fleet officers had an important job. They were the ones that willingly risked their lives to keep everyone safe.

Trying her best to sound interested, "That was so long ago, the peace treaty has long since been signed we wouldn't have to worry about another invasion."

Amy was surprised when Zen didn't immediately agree with her.

Zen looked towards Amy with a serious expression, "You're aware of who the hostiles are?"

She gave a nod, "Those that stand apart from the Federation."

Zen went on to explain, "Over the years they have grown in numbers, recruiting from all regions of the universe. I know researchers aren't trained for battle but if anything were to ever happen all you would have to do is hide or flee and let the battle fleet officers take care of the rest."

Hide or flee, both options sounded so cowardly but Amy knew that if she did anything other than that she would only be in the way and put other lives at risk. Staring back at Zen with concern she continued to listen, "We have the numbers on the ground but the hostiles are ruthless and unpredictable. They would sacrifice hundreds of lives in order to get what they want. Fifteen minutes, once the distress signal is triggered, that's how long it would take for the rest of the battle fleet officers stationed in other regions to arrive."

"That would probably feel like the longest fifteen minutes of my life…"

Zen drew closer to Amy and brushed his hand against her cheek. Looking into her eyes he reassured her, "I would never let anything happen to you little butterfly…"

Unable to hold his gaze Amy looked down, the Alpha Quadrant insignia on the jacket she wore stared back at her. Amy knew that Zen was attractive, high-ranking and strong, people respected him. He was used to seeing bloodshed and war but somehow he was always gentle with her. There wasn't a girl she knew that wouldn't want to be with him. But as Amy continued to stare at the Alpha Quadrant insignia she knew there was only one man she wanted.

"Thanks for showing me around Zen but I better get back, Risa's waiting for me in the lab." It was a lie but Amy didn't care.


	12. Chapter 12

Since their argument in the West Hall Sheldon and Amy had not spoken. They both allowed their stubbornness to get in the way, neither wanting to be the first to apologize or admit they were wrong.

Whenever their paths would cross they both got into the habit of ignoring each other as if the friendship between them never existed. On many occasion Amy held her breath as she walked passed Sheldon, secretly hoping that this would be the day he would stop her and ask to talk. Disappointment and sadness washed over her every time he would pass without a word.

For Sheldon, he couldn't deny the hurt he felt by the fact that Amy had so easily removed him from her life. Did their friendship not mean anything to her? Whenever he would see Amy he would feel an ache in his chest. He missed her, he missed eating meals with her and the conversations they would have, he missed hearing her laugh and how she looked when she talked excitedly about something, most of all he just missed being around her.

Sheldon tried to come up with different reasons on why he needed to talk to Amy. She still had his jacket after all and it made sense to ask for it back. He had hoped that once he talked to Amy she would confess to missing him as much as he missed her. He wanted know that what they shared between them wasn't so easily forgotten.

Often times in his quarters when sleep would elude him he would pull out the charm Amy had given him with the hologram of Ancient Earth. He remembered back to how reluctant he was to accepting her gift but now realizing it was the only thing he had that reminded him of her.

Their friendship was so gradual he didn't register how much he relied on having her as a central part of his life. In some ways he just assumed that she would always be by his side. It was a foolish assumption on his part.

Was it possible to still be friends with her even if she chose to be with Zen? No, Sheldon decided. He couldn't live with having to see Amy pair-bonded to a man who wasn't him. He didn't want the painful reminder of all his missed opportunities.

A future without Amy? Every time he thought about it the ache in his chest would return.

* * *

"He never touches me…"

Risa raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"

"Sheldon… He never touches me. In all the images we're always together but I have never seen him once touch me."

"You cant base an entire lifetime on a handful of images."

Amy stood up and rubbed her tired eyes. She wasn't sure how long she sat in front of that display but she felt exhausted and emotionally drained. Noticing her defeated look Risa tried to comfort Amy with her words, "You knew each other then and you know each other now, I don't think its a coincidence. To travel that far across the universe, being reunited hundred of years later, its obvious isn't it? You two clearly hold an importance in each others lives." Amy tried her best to smile as she held on to every word.

Turning her gaze to the display, Risa played the next file. She watched as Amy on the screen sat reading while the image of Sheldon stood near by working frantically away on a white board.

"The Commander was a researcher back then too, I can see a number of equations he's working on," Risa giving the image a closer look, "not a very good one, those equations are somewhat remedial."

Amy out of instinct jumped to Sheldon's defense, "That was 500 years ago Risa, I'm sure it was very advanced for the time."

Risa held up her hands in surrender as she continued to look through the next files which more or less showed the same.

"How are things going between you two anyways?"

Amy answered with sadness in her voice, "I think the fight we had in the West Hall may have been the one that ended our friendship."

Amy was surprised that Risa was silent after what she had just revealed. Looking over at her, she noticed that her normal bubbly friend watched the display in front of her with a frown.

"What is it?"

Risa gave Amy a worried look, "You two must be fighting in this one, the Commander looks really upset."

Amy made her way to Risa's side to see for herself. She couldn't hear what the two on the screen were saying but it was obvious from watching their body language that they were having an argument. Amy's shoulders slouched, apparently nothing has changed between them in 500 years.

Amy could feel the tears forming in her eyes, she didn't know what she was expecting when they uncovered these memories but it certainly wasn't this. Were they always this way? Just when she was about to turn away the image displayed the two suddenly engaging in a heated kiss. Amy gasped in surprise unable to take her eyes off the screen.

The next few images were similar, displaying their former selves sharing a kiss. Sometimes it would be a quick peck on the lips, other times it would be long and drawn out. Some images were so heated you could feel the passion behind the kiss emanating through the screen.

Risa could see a noticeable blush across Amy's cheeks but she decided not to say anything. Instead she sat and watched silently with her friend, allowing a grin of satisfaction to spread across her face.

* * *

Amy took the lift to Sheldon's floor, holding his jacket close to her chest. She couldn't get the images out of her mind, the way he would kiss her so passionately back then. It could only mean that they were bonded somehow, a bond greater than mere friendship.

She thought back to the kiss they shared in the lab, the way he held her closely in his arms and the way he returned her kiss with just as much fervor. Was there a real meaning behind that kiss? Was it possible that he felt more for her than she realized? She stood in quiet contemplation as she waited for the lift to stop.

Amy decided that it was time to reveal to Sheldon all that they had uncovered, the memories of a past lifetime they shared together. A part of her secretly hoped that they could get back what they had lost so long ago. Fighting through her nervousness, Amy made her way over to Sheldon's console but he was nowhere to be found.

"You're Amy, right?"

It was a man from Sheldon's team, she immediately recognized the uniform and gave a nod.

"If you're looking for the Commander he's-"

"He's not here."

Amy's gaze turned towards the black-haired woman who took a spot next to her teammate.

Seven shot her teammate a look before continuing, "He's not hear, he ended his shift early today," Seven's gaze drifted to the jacket Amy carried. Holding out her hand she asked, "Did you want me to return that for you?"

Amy gripped the jacket protectively against her and shook her head in response, "That wont be necessary, I'm fully capable of returning it myself. If either of you see the Commander if you could please tell him that Amy was looking for him."

With nothing more to say Amy turned on her heel and headed back down the lift. A few moments later Sheldon approached from behind his two teammates and took a seat as his console.

Seven gave a charming smile, "How was the meeting Commander? Did the captain approve the flight log we submitted so we can run tests out in the field?"

"He did approve our flight charter under the condition that we follow a few other requirements…" Sheldon didn't elaborate on what those requirements were. Instead he looked curiously towards his two teammates that stood next to his console, "Do you two have anything new to report?"

The man started to speak but was quickly silenced by Seven, "Nothing to report Commander, everything is in on schedule." Sheldon turned his focus to his other teammate, for some reason the man seemed visibly conflicted, "Anything to report?"

The man glancing in Seven's direction could see the threatening look she gave. Turning his gaze towards the floor he reluctantly shook his head, "Nothing to report, Commander."

* * *

Amy returned to the lab, when she walked in she couldn't help but notice the huge smile Risa gave her.

"The Commander really enjoys kissing you, I can tell by how close he holds you."

Amy tried to ignore the butterflies she felt in her stomach and for the remainder of the day she busied herself by filling out reports.

"One file left Amy, who knows, maybe this last image will be of you two rolling around on the bed together." Risa teased as she once again watched as Amy's cheeks turn red.

Playing back the last image Risa focused intently on the screen before her. Her smile grew as she realized she was partly right, Amy and Sheldon appeared to be laying in bed together. Risa watched as they held each other close.

"Its so romantic…"

As she continued to watch the image, Risa couldn't help but gush when Sheldon leaned in and pressed his lips to Amy's in what appeared to be yet another passionate kiss between the two. But Risa's smile quickly faded, something seemed apparently different with this image.

Unable to take her eyes off the screen she noticed that the light in the room continued to grow. Before Risa could piece together what was happening, the image suddenly displayed a room covered in flames with the two people inside of it quickly reduced to ashes.

Risa stared at the screen in horror as tears flowed from her eyes. She shook her head in disbelief, a tremble ran through her as she continued to watch the flames dance across the screen.

Looking up from her reports, Amy looked over at her teammate who appeared very upset, "Risa, whats wrong?"

Amy made it over to Risa's side to see but Risa quickly turned off the display.

"What is it, what did you see?" Amy reached to turn on the display but Risa grabbed her hand to stop her.

"No!" Risa shuddered once more as the image played back in her mind. Looking towards Amy with her watery eyes, "No… Promise me Amy, promise me you wont watch this last one."

"Did something bad happen?"

Risa closed her eyes, the only response she could manage was a nod.

"It's fine Risa, whatever it was it was a lifetime ago."

Risa shook her head and pleaded, "Promise me Amy…"

Amy could see how serious Risa was and noticed how she looked at her with pain in her eyes, "….I promise."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I have posted 2 chapters today, so please keep reading through the next chapter. This was originally one large chapter but I broke it up into two to make it easier to read.**

It was the third time Sheldon stood in Captain Aero's office in his attempt to get the Captain to overturn his earlier decision.

"This isn't our first time out in the field, please reconsider."

"How many times do we have to discuss this? We're seeing a lot of movement by the hostiles which can only mean that they are planning something. Must I point out that you're the reason we have to take these extra precautions?"

"But were going to run tests in the Isos galaxy its in the complete opposite direction from the north quadrant."

The Captain leaned back in his chair, his patience was wearing thin, "If you want to run tests out in the field than a team of battle fleet officers go with you."

"Captain please…" Sheldon couldn't help but say with exasperation.

"They go or you don't go."

Sheldon once again started to argue but was quickly silenced by the Captain.

"They go…" the Captain paused to give Sheldon a stern look, "or you don't go."

* * *

Sheldon stood in the docking bay terminal with the rest of the Alpha Quadrant team, listening to the battle fleet officers give their instructions.

Standing at the front Zen spoke, "Don't be intimidated by the team of battlecruisers we will be taking to the Isos galaxy, as far you are concerned it is business as usual unless you hear otherwise."

Zen paced around looking at each member of Sheldon's team as he continued, "If we happen to encounter an areas of conflict I ask that you listen and follow the instructions called out by the battle fleet officers, your lives depend on it." Zen finished his sentence looking pointedly at Sheldon.

For the next hour the battle fleet officers continued to give instruction and during that hour Zen and Sheldon continued to share looks. Growing impatient Sheldon folded his arms and let out a loud sigh. Stopping the officer who was speaking, Zen turned the focus towards Sheldon.

"Did you have something to say?" Zen flexed his muscles under his uniform as he glared at Sheldon, making it obvious that he was sizing him up.

Refusing to back down Sheldon took a confident step towards Zen, he grinned as he stared back at the other man to show that he wasn't one that could be intimidated.

"We've been here for over an hour."

"And?" Zen asked through gritted teeth.

"And?" Sheldon parroted back mockingly before asking, "During the trajectory of this discussion will we be arriving at anything that resembles a point?"

Everyone could feel the tension building in the room as the two Commanders continued to glare at each other as they exchanged words.

* * *

Sheldon checked and rechecked his field bag as he waited to board the ship. As he looked around at his team he could see the fear in their eyes. To some extent each member of his team suffered from post traumatic stress disorder, having had to witness the death of half of their comrades on their last trip to the Isos galaxy.

"Are you worried at all Commander?"

Sheldon shook his head and tried his best to reassure them, "No, battlecruisers are one of the strongest ships we have. It should be able to withstand any volatile interstellar clouds we may encounter."

Sheldon paused to make sure Zen was out of ear shot before continuing, "Like the battle fleet officers told you, business as usual unless you hear otherwise, if anything were to happen remain calm and listen to your orders."

Listening to his team converse Sheldon's attention was drawn by the sound of Zen's voice. "Come to see me off little butterfly?" Sheldon scanned through room to find him but quickly averted his eyes, unable to watch as Zen pulled Amy into a hug. He shuffled aimlessly through his field bag, trying to ignore the tightening he felt in his chest.

Seven placed her hand on Sheldon's arm to get his attention, "Im not worried, you're more than capable to lead the team, sir." One of Seven's teammates rolled his eyes. Sheldon could see that Seven was about to speak again but her eyes transitioned away from him. Following her gaze Sheldon was surprised to see his jacket being held in front of him.

"You've probably been wanting this back…"

Sheldon swallowed at the sight of Amy who stood before him. Taking his jacket from her he quickly shoved it into his bag. He didn't want to be reminded of what had occurred between them in the West Hall.

Amy once again spoke, "Can you spare a few minuets to talk?"

"Commander, we're about to leave, I don't think-"

"In private." Amy cut off the other woman.

Sheldon stood up and guided Amy to a secluded area. Turning towards her he allowed her to speak.

"Is it true, you're headed back to the Isos galaxy?"

Sheldon gave a nod, "Our simulations ran successfully its the next logical step to take."

Amy felt flustered, why would they choose to go back there after what happened the last time. She told herself to stay calm but she couldn't hide her obvious distress, "But you already went there!"

"We didn't finish our testing the last time…"

"The last time? The last time half your team died! That galaxy is known for interstellar anomalies…"

"Amy, I'm the Commander now, its my job to-"

"No, you're not going." Amy shook her head in denial, "You can send a droid."

"We need to modify the calculations on the spot, we don't have any other choice…"

"But theres no guarantee you'll make it back alive Sheldon!" Tears began to well in her eyes, "I always wait for you, every time you leave I always wait for you. If you go, I wont be waiting in the docking bay terminal for you to return…"

Sheldon felt hurt by her words, why did it always have to be this way between them? With a stone expression he responded, "Is this why you came here, to pick a fight with me?"

"No, I didn't mean-"

"I don't have time for this! I'm going out in the field and I need to stay focused. I'm a Commander Amy and people rely on me…"

Sheldon turned to walk away but Amy put her hands on his chest to stop him. Looking up at him she knew that this could be the last time she would see him and she didn't want to miss her chance.

"I don't want to lose you…"

Amy closed her eyes trying to find the courage to tell him, "I…what I feel…", pausing to take a breath she tried again, "…I have feelings for you."

Sheldon stared back at her trying to understand her words. He didn't know what to believe, one minute they're friends the next minute they're not. One day she's undressing before him in his quarters the next day she's in Zen's arms…

"You don't know what you're saying, the alignment..."

"Im not going through heat Sheldon! I am telling you as Amy that I have feelings for you."

A man from Sheldon's team hesitantly approached, "We're boarding Commander." Sheldon gave the man a nod.

Knowing that there was no way she could stop him from boarding that ship, reaching for Sheldon's hand Amy gave him a console chip, "You and I…we knew each other before…" Looking at him one more time and with nothing more to say Amy turned around and walked away.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I have posted 2 chapters today, if you have not done so already please read chapter 13 first. If you skip ahead it won't make any sense.**

For the most part their tests had all run smoothly and for the sake of his team and everyone on board Sheldon had made an extra effort to avoid Zen. On the way home Sheldon pulled out the charm Amy had given him, watching the hologram of Earth rotate as he thought back to Amy's words.

"Commander, did you hear what I said?"

Shoving the charm back into his pocket he looked over at Seven who was waiting for an answer. "What were you saying?"

Seven let out a sigh, it was obvious that her Commander didn't hear her question let alone notice that she was even there. "Are you okay Commander? You seem somewhat distracted since we left the docking bay terminal."

"Im fine. Its been a long day and I'm just anxious to get home."

Seven took a seat next to Sheldon and attempted to make small talk but quickly gave up as he stared blankly at the reports he held in his hands. The battle fleet officers were talking and Sheldon wanted hear what they were saying.

"Zen, whats the story with that girl? You know, the pretty one…"

"Who, my little butterfly?"

His butterfly, his? Amy's name is three characters long how Zen couldn't manage to remember it baffled Sheldon to no end.

"Are you two pair-bonded?" Sheldon sat on the edge of his seat listening intently for Zen's response.

"Not yet, but I'm working on it. That means she's off-limits to you bastards!" Zen and his men laughed among themselves.

A surge of relief ran through Sheldon, all this time he had thought he had been too late but it was as if life was handing him a second chance. The ship rumbled and Seven reached out and gripped Sheldon's arm. Sheldon could hear Zen making his way to the front of the ship, instinctively Sheldon got up and followed close behind.

Sheldon looked at the monitors which appeared to show nothing out of the ordinary.

"Hostiles?" Zen asked.

"No, we're in the middle of a cloud…"

It was Zen's turn to look over the monitors when he responded, "If we're already in the middle of it, there's nothing we can do but ride it through." Zen looked over at Sheldon fully expecting him to add his commentary.

Zen was the last person Sheldon wanted to agree with but for the sake of the team he put his ego aside, "Agreed."

Making his way back to his team, the lights flickered off and on and you could hear what sounded like the metal of the ship bending. "Stay calm…" Sheldon reiterated. Suddenly, sparks flew from the back of the ship and in unison everyone turned towards the smell of smoke.

"Fire!" one of the crewmen called out, "everyone out of this section of the ship!"

Sheldon waited for each of his teammates to make their way towards the front section. The ship abruptly listed, knocking everyone off balance, Sheldon slammed against the wall. Once he was able to regain his footing he helped others off the ground and pushed them towards safety.

Once the back section was cleared Sheldon made a visual check to make sure each of his teammates were accounted for.

"Seal it off." Zen ordered.

Sheldon watched as the clear wall came down to close off the back section. Putting his hand in his pocket, he was surprised to find that it was empty. He checked all his pockets but it was nowhere to be found.

Looking through the wall he could see that he had dropped the charm Amy had given him. Through the cloud of black smoke he could see the small glow of the hologram. Sheldon headed towards the wall to retrieve it but the battle fleet officers held him back, "It stays sealed until the fire is out."

Sheldon had no choice but to watch as the flames approached the small hologram of Earth, his heart rate increase and his hands started to tremble. The memories of his nightmares brought to the surface. Reaching up to touch his face, he examined the clear liquid against his fingers, tears?

"Commander, are you okay?"

Unable to peel his eyes away Sheldon watched as the fire fully engulfed the charm, the bright blue glow of Earth quickly burning out. Watching in horror he clutched at the pain in his chest. He thought back to his nightmares, stuck in that strange place, following Amy down the hall, 'No _don't, were not supposed to be here…' _ Following Amy into the burning room desperately searching for her, '_Amy, where are you?…' _Sheldon buckled in pain before blacking out and collapsing to the floor.

_His eyes focusing, he smiled at the sight before him. He laid on a bed across from Amy and allowed his eyes to travel over her features. She's so beautiful he thought to himself. He didn't know how he got here but it didn't matter, all he wanted was to be next to her._

_As Sheldon continued to look at Amy he noticed tears started to trickle from her eyes. _

_"Whats wrong?" Sheldon asked with a gentle voice but Amy didn't respond it was as if she was staring right through him._

_Filled with concern Sheldon sat up and asked again, "Amy, whats wrong?" He reached out his hand to place it on her but the moment he touched her she disintegrated into ashes right before his very eyes. _

_"Amy?!" Sheldon's called out her name with a shaky voice. _

"Commander!…. Commander, are you okay?!" Sheldon could feel someone shaking him. He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was surrounded by his team as he lay on the floor of the ship.

Zen squatted down next to Sheldon to check his pulse, "If you're done taking a nap, take your seat so we can go home."

Sitting up he asked his team, "What happened?"

"You passed out Commander…"

"He didn't pass out, his heart stop beating for at least 3 whole minutes!"

"Do you want us to call it in Commander?"

Sheldon waved them off, "No, I'm fine. We're on our way back home anyway."

For the rest of the trip home Sheldon sat quietly, the image of Amy turning into a cloud of ashes was fresh in his mind.

Walking into the docking bay terminal Sheldon scanned the room for Amy only to be disappointed, she had kept to her word and for the first time since meeting her she didn't wait for him return.

* * *

Risa had dragged Amy to Captain Aero's office, they waited patiently for the Alpha Quadrant team to debrief. As the door opened and the team filed out Amy noticed that Sheldon wasn't with the group.

Risa pulling someone from the team aside to ask, "Wheres your Commander?"

The man looked over at the two woman, Amy was surprised that the man seemed to recognized her, "We debriefed without him so he could get checked out by the infirmary." Amy squeezed Risa's hand to show her concern, "But don't worry he's fine, I'm sure he would be happy to see you if you decided to pay him a visit."

"Or you could just stay away from him." Amy instantly recognized the woman's voice.

The man rolled his eyes, "Stay out of it Seven."

Seven crossed her arms as she turned to her teammate, "I will not stay out of it, we are all a team and as a team we look out for the well-being of one another, including our Commander."

"It's Amy, she's close to the Commander we all know that…"

"Need I remind you that the Commander used our classified wormhole technology and nearly got suspended trying to rescue her." Seven now speaking to the rest of the team that gathered around, "Thanks to her poor judgement, every single one of us is at risk. She's a distraction and she's going to get our Commander killed!"

Hearing her words, Amy stood frozen as she tried to comprehend what was being said. Sheldon had risked his career to save her? Was she the reason Sheldon was in the infirmary, was she putting his life at risk?

Turning towards Amy, Seven stared coldly into her eyes, "He should of left you in the north quadrant…"

Before Amy could respond Seven was quickly silenced by the sound Risa's hand slapping her across the face.

"You stupid bitch!"

The team assisted in wrestling the two woman away from each other.

* * *

After getting checked by the infirmary and stopping to take a hot shower Sheldon made his way back to his quarters. He felt drained physically and emotionally and he wanted nothing more for this day to end. Entering the password to his quarters, he pushed the door open.

He was taken by surprise when he found that his quarters did not sit empty as he anticipated. Amy met his gaze but quickly looked away, "I said I wasn't going to wait at the docking bay terminal…"

Sheldon let out the breath he was holding, he was relieved that she was here.

Standing up Amy looked him over, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay and it looks like you are so…" Amy could see the tiredness in his eyes, "you probably want to get some rest."

Sheldon didn't move away from the door, Amy was here and he wasn't ready for her to leave. Shoving his hands in his pockets he asked nervously, "The things you said earlier… did you mean it?"

Amy instinctively knew what Sheldon was asking. It was fight or flight and it was now time to choose. Amy didn't know if they were friends or not friends, all she knew was that she had nothing to lose, she took a step closer to him.

Could he feel for her the same things she felt for him? Doubt filled her mind as she once again took a step closer. Her stomach twisted into knots and everything inside her told her to flee but Amy continued to step closer until she stood directly in front of Sheldon.

She felt terrified and could feel tears forming against the rim of her eyes but she pushed past her fear and forced herself to speak, "I'm in love with you Sheldon…"

Sheldon closed his eyes as he took in her words. He thought back to all those times he had thought Amy had slipped through his fingers and chosen someone else.

He knew it was his turn to speak but what could he say? There were no words that could describe what he felt for Amy. Looking back at her, he didn't know why but he knew Amy was a part of him, she made him whole. Instinctively he did all he could do in that moment and leaned forward to capture her lips with his.

Startled at first, Amy closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into his kiss. It was a long kiss filled with every ounce of emotion Sheldon could give in hopes that Amy would understand what he felt for her.

When they finally broke apart Sheldon could see Amy's stunned expression. He ran his hand nervously through his hair and took a seat on his bed to catch his breath.

With a trembling hand Amy touched her fingers to her lips. Making her way over to him, Amy placed her hands on his shoulders as she spoke, "Sheldon…" Amy looked at him with desire in her eyes, "Please don't stop…"

Pulling her closer to him Sheldon once again found Amy's lips, Amy wrapped her arms around his neck as they kissed each other feverishly. Amy's lips were soft and sweet and Sheldon wanted nothing more than to be even closer to her. Pulling her onto his lap, he wrapped his arms around her as he trailed his lips down her neck. Shifting on top of him Amy let out a moan.

Amy tugged at Sheldon's uniform, Sheldon taking the hint pulled it off and disregarded it onto the floor. Amy bit her lip as she ran her fingers down his chest, she wanted this and she wanted this from him.

Sheldon picked Amy up and laid her gently on his bed. Positioning himself on top of her he let his hand trail under her uniform. Breathing heavily Amy couldn't stop the moans that escaped her lips. Sheldon knew that he only wanted Amy making those sounds for him.

Amy's heart beat quickened as Sheldon unfastened her uniform and trailed kisses down her body. She ran her fingers through his hair as she allowed herself to get lost in his touch.

Pausing to look at the woman who laid beneath him, Sheldon couldn't help but wonder if this was another dream.

"Is this really happening?" He didn't mean to say that out loud.

Amy looked into his eyes, "Im yours Sheldon… only yours…"

Allowing his lips to once again find hers Sheldon pulled Amy into a deep kiss, he broke away just long enough to whisper in her ear, "I love you Amy…"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I apologize for the longer than normal wait. I felt conflicted on how I wanted to end this story but overall I decided to keep my original story outline. Approximately 2.5 chapters remaining for me to tie up all loose ends. **

Awakening from his deep sleep Sheldon blinked his eyes a few times allowing his vision to regain their focus. Feeling rested Sheldon sunk deeper into his pillow. He was relieved to finally have a peaceful nights sleep where he didn't have to endure any nightmares.

Rolling over to his side to adjust his position, Sheldon froze once his eyes fell upon the naked woman who lay asleep beside him. He listened carefully to her rhythmic breathing, watching as her chest rose and fell with every breath.

Reaching out he allowed himself to brush his fingers against her bare skin. It wasn't a dream, Amy was really here next to him, she wasn't the cloud of ashes that haunted his memory. Amy shifted in her sleep, drawing closer towards Sheldon's warmth. He smiled back at himself as his eidetic memory replayed the events that brought them together.

Pulling Amy closer to him Sheldon took in the moment, he couldn't put to words what he felt but he instinctively knew that this was how it should be. She loved him and he loved her, he knew that this is where Amy belonged, forever by his side.

Leaning towards her, Sheldon carefully placed kisses down her chest. He continued to explore Amy with his lips as if to make up for lost time. The corner of Amy's lips pulled into a smile as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing Amy saw was the face of the man she loved.

"I'm sorry for waking you but I couldn't help myself."

Amy reached up to run her fingers through his hair, "I don't mind…"

Amy moved to the other side of the bed to give Sheldon more room. "I hope I didn't ruin your sleep pattern, this bed wasn't exactly made for two."

"It was honestly the best sleep I've ever gotten," Sheldon smiled back at Amy as he once again pulled her towards him.

His eyes traveled over Amy's naked form as he though back to what they had shared between them. It didn't take long for Sheldon to realize that he was Amy's first and only. Out of all the people it could have been, she had chosen to give herself to him.

Sheldon continued to look over her carefully, "Did I hurt you?"

Amy shook her head and placed a kiss on his cheek to assure him that she was ok. He never wanted to hurt her, physically or otherwise. Teetering on the edge of his next question, it was one of the rare times Sheldon felt insecure. He wasn't entirely certain he was ready to hear an honest answer. Amy looked at him with curiosity, wondering what he would say next.

"Was my performance satisfactory?"

Surprised by his question, Amy thought back to how confident he was, he seemed to know exactly what to do. He was in full control and was gentle in his movements allowing her to get use to his size before falling into a steady rhythm. Sheldon had smiled down at her, watching as she went over the edge, causing her to blush. He made her feel like she was everything and more and it was absolutely perfect.

"It was better than anything I could have ever imagined," Amy could see relief spread through him, "but I'm sure that's not the first time you've heard that…"

Sheldon averted his gaze towards his bed, suddenly preoccupied with smoothing out the wrinkles of his bed sheet.

Amy watched his body language, her eyes went wide when it finally registered, "Just me?"

Sheldon looked up at her shyly, "Is that such a bad thing? You know how busy I am, it may surprise you but being Commander requires a great deal of work…"

"Oh no, I didn't mean…"

Sheldon continued to ramble on, "…and besides, I would have to remake my bed and that would throw off my entire routine."

He was soon silenced as Amy pressed her lips firmly to his. As they continued to kiss deeply Amy pulled him on top of her. Breaking from the kiss, Sheldon stared into her eyes, "You're the only one I want…"

She wrapped her legs tightly around him to draw him closer, closing her eyes as she focused on the feeling of his hands exploring her body. Sheldon smiled as Amy arched into him, he was more than willing to give her what she wanted.

A loud knock on the door brought them back to reality.

"Should you get that?"

Sheldon leaned down to playfully bite her shoulder, "Just ignore it, they'll go away…"

Amy once again closed her eyes and tried to focus on Sheldon's touch but another round of knocks assaulted the door, this time more forcefully. Frustrated, Sheldon reluctantly got out of bed and threw on a pair of slacks. He pulled a blanket over Amy to make sure she was fully covered.

Cracking the door open Sheldon immediately recognized one of the men from his team.

"Sorry to disturb you Commander…," Sheldon watched as his teammates eyes traveled to the pile of clothes behind him. The man gave an awkward smile once he realized the pile of clothes he stared at was actually a woman's uniform.

Clearing his throat he started over, "Sorry to disturb you Commander but the Captain wishes to see you in the simulation room, its urgent…"

Sheldon's shoulders sank with disappointment, "Thank you, tell him I'm on my way."

Amy watched as Sheldon put on a fresh uniform. Reaching for his boots, he picked up a small console chip that was laying on the floor.

Looking over at Amy, "Whats on this?"

Excitement could be heard in Amy's voice, "The best way to explain it is that we knew each other before…"

"Before?" Sheldon furrowed his brow, "Before recruitment?"

Amy gave a nod, "We can watch it together and I can explain everything to you…"

Placing the console chip on a nearby table, he once again turned his focus towards Amy, he leaned down to give her another kiss before leaving.

"I promise when I get back we'll pick up where we left off."

* * *

After stopping by her quarters to get a fresh change of clothes Amy decided to look for Risa to see how she was doing.

On the way to the simulation room Sheldon took a shortcut through the battle fleet sector, he was surprised to see that it wasn't nearly as busy as it usually was. Pushing open the door to the simulation room Sheldon was greeted by the rest of his team. He immediately recognized the fear in their eyes, it was the same look of fear they wore when they traveled to the Isos galaxy.

"Captain?"

Captain Aero didn't even look up at him, his focus was concentrated on deleting all the data saved in the simulator.

"How secure are our backup files?"

"It has a multi-layered encryption, no one can get into it without the proper security clearance. It would take years and a high level of intelligence to break into it. Why do you ask?"

The Captain now speaking to the rest of the team, "All other files have been destroyed?"

"Yes, Captain."

Sheldon's did a double take, it was as if he had just heard the most unimaginable curse word.

"Destroyed? Captain, what is going on?!"

Beads of sweat formed over the Captains brow, "A few hours ago more than half of our battle fleet teams were drawn into the Centaurus quadrant where a large group of hostiles were wrecking havoc."

Sheldon wasn't following, what did the Centaurus quadrant have to do with them? The Captain could see the perplexed look on Sheldon's face. He brought up the quadrant map and displayed it on the screen behind him. Sheldon tried to make sense of what he was seeing. A swarm of hostile ships were rapidly approaching their planet.

"Those bastards lured more than half our fleet into another quadrant to weaken our forces." The Captain continued to work frantically, deleting the last file saved in the simulator. "We sent a runner to sound the alarm…"

Sheldon's heart sank into his chest as he absorbed the scene that was playing out before him, another invasion? Running the calculations in his head Sheldon knew it was only a matter of minutes before the hostiles made it on the ground.

"We all know what they want, if either of you are captured you wont have the luxury of a quick death." Captain Aero looked into the eyes of each person who stood in the room,"All of you need to evacuate immediately!"

Sheldon's thoughts quickly turned towards Amy, he needed to get to her and warn her, he needed to keep her safe.

The Captain nudged Sheldon towards the door to get his attention, "Head to the docking bay terminal with your team to evacuate!"

* * *

Amy looked around the mess hall for Risa, it didn't take long to find her cheery smile.

"How are you? I hope you didn't get into trouble…" Amy pulled her friend into a hug.

"Not a scratch on me. Although, I can't say the same for Seven."

Amy took a seat across from her, "You've done so much for me, I don't know how to thank you."

Risa bounced excitedly in her chair, "You can thank me by telling me everything that happened!"

Unable to contain her smile, Amy tried her best to summarize the whirlwind of events.

"We talked and I confessed my feelings for him and he confessed to having feelings for me in return…"

"And?", Risa continued to press further.

"…and we kissed."

Unsatisfied, Risa folded her arms and gave Amy a serious look, "You finally confess your love for each other and that's it?"

Amy could feel herself blush, she gave a simple nod.

"I know for a fact that you didn't return to your quarters last night… " Risa leaned over the table and whispered, "Did you two…", Risa raised her eyebrows which meant she wanted Amy to finish the sentence.

Amy could feel her blush deepening. Risa continued to give her a knowing look causing Amy to break into a smile.

"We did!"

Risa squealed with excitement, "Thats so romantic! I'm not sure I'll be able to look the Commander in the eyes ever again." Giving Amy's hand a squeeze, "Its your turn to help me find my soul mate!"

Amy and Risa continued to laugh and tease each other but their fun was quickly extinguished by the high-pitched sound of the alarm.

Amy looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. She could only watch as the mess hall quickly turned into chaos, people running in every direction. Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Amy peered out of the nearby window. Her eyes went wide with horror as she watched as hostile soldiers poured out of the sky.

Risa sat frozen in fear, Amy took her hand and pulled her to her feet, "We need to move!"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:This chapter and maybe the next one, won't be everyone's cup of tea. But we're coming near the end of the story and the show must go on. The remaining chapters are already drafted, I just have to edit and tweak them. The last 2 chapters will be posted together, hopefully tomorrow or the next day. Thanks to those who are still reading!**

Pushing through the crowd, Sheldon was relieved to find the docking bay terminal had yet to be infiltrated by any hostiles. Leading his team towards one of the research ships, Sheldon worked to override the system that would allow them to gain entrance.

"Take off your uniforms!" Sheldon called out over his shoulder.

"Sir?"

"We need to remove anything with the Alpha Quadrant insignia."

Understanding, the team began to strip down to their undershirts, leaving their uniforms in an unidentifiable pile on the ground. Once the doors unlocked, Sheldon moved quickly with his team to board the ship. Making his way to the front console, Sheldon entered in his security code, starting up the ships internal system.

One of his teammates took an open seat nearby, watching as his Commander continued to work frantically. Sheldon felt conflicted, torn between his responsibilities as a Commander and his desperate need to find Amy.

"This is a research vessel, it wont allow us to operate it without the proper security clearance. I'm not sure how long it will take for me to override it…"

Sheldon felt someone reach out to still his hands, "Commander, we got this… go find her…"

"My responsibilities as your Commander…"

"You've already brought us this far!"

Sheldon looked around to his other teammates, an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them all. His teammates continued to urge him on, "We'll take care of everything here, you don't have another minute to waste."

Sheldon finally conceded, "I'll be close behind…"

His teammate responded with a nod.

Taking one last headcount to make sure everyone was on board, Sheldon made his way down the aisle towards the exit but Seven stubbornly blocked his path.

"Im not leaving here without Amy so please, step aside…"

"You cant be serious…," Seven started, "Commander, you heard the Captain we all need to evacuate immediately! You can't run back in there…"

Another member of the team tried to reason with her "Seven, we are more than capable to handle it from here…"

"Thats not the point!," she shot back, "Are we all going to ignore the fact that she's the reason we're in this position in the first place!"

Seven turned her focus back to Sheldon, rage seeped through her voice as she once again spoke, "Why are you so blind to see that she's not worth it!"

Sheldon stood motionless as he took in Seven's harsh words. The rest of the team, wide-eyed and stunned, waited with bated breath for their Commanders response.

"If you're looking for someone to blame then you should blame me…" Sheldon spoke calmly, but everyone could see the undeniable anger that shone through his eyes. "Im the one that exposed our technology to the hostiles, it was my decision to use it and mine alone. But let me make myself perfectly clear…" Sheldon towered over Seven, he stared directly into her eyes to make sure she didn't miss a single word, "I would do it over again in a heart beat because I am not willing to live a life without Amy in it!"

Shoving past Seven, the team watched as their Commander made his way off the ship.

* * *

A few minutes had passed since their Commanders departure and the Alpha Quadrant team continued to discuss their next course of action.

"We should wait…"

Seven continued to argue, "Don't be stupid, we need to evacuate!"

One of her teammates looked over the monitors, "Even if we try, there's no guarantee we would make it. They're everywhere, in the sky, on the ground… everywhere."

"They don't know were on this ship."

"Exactly, which means they wont hesitate to blow us out of the sky!"

Another member of the team stood up, refusing to sit idle any longer, "We're wasting time arguing when we should be out there helping him!"

Seven once again spoke towards the team, "If our Commander wants to risk his life for no good reason then I want no part of it."

"For an intelligent woman, you have a real problem seeing the obvious…"

Seven threw her hands up in frustration, unsure why no one was taking her side, "We all heard what the Captain said, if any of us get captured they'll torture us until we give them what they want!"

"They capture us and so what? None of us have the security clearance to those files and the strings of those equations are too long and complex to recite from memory. You said it yourself Seven, we're a team and we take care of each other, including the Commander! If you're afraid to die, just say so…"

"Afraid to die… and you're not?!"

"Of course I'm afraid, we all are! But this team is like my family and I refuse to sit here and do nothing!"

Others nodded in agreement.

Her teammate continued to speak, "Whether you agree with me or not, I'm going. The Commander would do the same for either of us…"

"It would be his duty!" Seven spat.

"It would be his choice!" Her teammate corrected before storming off the ship.

A few others followed close behind, "Wait for us, we'll go with you…"

Three more member from the Alpha Quadrant team headed towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Seven called after them.

"We're going to head up to the control center to listen for word from battle fleet…"

* * *

Amy held tightly to Risa's hand as they made their way aimlessly down one of the halls. There pace was slowed down by the sheer amount of people who moved in either direction. Chaos continue to unfold as people bumped into each other in search for safety. The building shook as explosions went off around them, Amy held her arm over her head to shield herself from the debris that rained down from above. Heading towards another entry way, Amy quickly halted in her tracks, terror ran through her as she watched hostiles wrestle people to the ground.

Not having any other choice, Amy pulled Risa back towards the direction they came. A blast went off near by knocking Risa off of her feet. Amy helped the other woman up, panic-stricken as hostiles seem to pour out of from every direction.

Heading towards the only entrance that appeared to be clear, Amy and Risa continued to run as fast as they could. Amy looked over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed, when suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind, pulling her into a nearby room.

Amy screamed and clawed at the arms that wrapped tightly around her. She could see Risa's expression turn to that of surprise. Feeling the arms loosen their hold, Amy spun around to face her attacker. Meeting his eyes, Amy fell back into his arms.

"Sheldon…"

Sheldon held Amy closely against him, he could feel the thump of her heart as it pounded through her chest. Sheldon placed a kiss on her temple before releasing her. Amy looked around the room they were now confined to.

"Should we try to make a run for it?"

Sheldon shook his head, "I just came from the other direction, the hallway is completely overrun…"

"What about this door?" Amy made her way to the opposite side of the room. She searched the nearby wall but didn't see a key pad.

"It can only be open from the other side…"

"They're headed this way!" Risa said in a panic.

Sheldon pulled Amy and Risa behind a nearby desk, the only place they could hide. The sound of heavy boots made their way into the room. Sheldon held his finger to his lips motioning to the other two to be still and as quiet as possible.

They sat unmoving as the hostile soldier slowly made his way around the room. Sheldon knew what they were here for, if it came down to it, he would surrender himself if it meant keeping Amy safe. As if she could read his mind, Amy clung closer to his side.

They listened as the soldier continued to draw closer, the three held their breath to silence the sound of their heavy breathing. They could feel the desk vibrating slightly with every step the soldier took. Risa held her hands over her mouth in a desperate attempt to keep her urge to scream at bay.

The soldier halted as a voice sounded through his com device.

"Status, any hits on Alpha Quadrant?"

"Negative," The soldier responded.

Amy's eyes darted towards Sheldon.

"Third unit move to the West hall."

The hostile quickly ran out of the room to follow his new orders. Sheldon leaned his head against the desk, they were spared for now but how much longer did they have before the next hostile soldier came along?

Amy looked towards him with tear filled eyes, "They're here for you?"

Amy remembered back to what Seven had said,

_'The commander used our classified wormhole technology and nearly got suspended trying to rescue her…'_

_'….Thanks to her poor judgment, every single one of us is at risk.'_

Amy once again repeated her question, "they're here for you, because of what you did for me?"

Amy's heart sunk deep into her chest, she didn't give Sheldon a chance to respond.

"No…They cant take you from me…" Amy shook her head in denial, "If they take you, they better take me too…" Sheldon pulled Amy into his arms, he could feel her tremble against him.

"As long as we're together we'll be fine…"

Risa watched helplessly, she wanted to tell them that everything was going to be okay and that they would somehow figure out a way to escape. But all she could manage to do was offer her touch in hopes that she could somehow absorb some of their pain.

Just when they were about to lose hope, they each turned towards what sounded like a keypad being triggered. Risa got up and pushed against the far door, they were all surprised to find that it was now unlocked. Hesitant at first, but with no other options, the three made their way into the adjoining room. They continued to make their way past a series of doors before finding themselves in a back hallway.

"Commander, this way…"

Sheldon turned towards the voice and was surprise to see a few member of his team.

"What are you guys still doing here?"

"We came to help!" His teammate spoke with confidence, mumbling under his breath to add, "...and good thing, it looked like you needed it." Risa couldn't help but smile at the mans wit. "We were able to override the security system to the back hall. I think from here we can make our way to the terminal."

A part of Sheldon wanted to scold them for not listening to their orders, but the other part of him was grateful, without them they would have still been trapped. Running down the back hall, relief spread through each of them as they made their way back to the docking bay terminal, boarding the ship.

"Is there still time to evacuate?" Sheldon asked hopeful.

One of his men shook his head, "Theres too many of them, this is a research ship we wouldn't make it long off the ground…"

Other members of the Alpha Quadrant team ran back on board , "The battle fleet units from other regions are on their way, about 10 minutes out!"

"Im not sure we have that long…" another one said as he stared out the backside of the ship, watching as hostiles began to flood the terminal.

Repeating the mans words back to herself, Amy knew they didn't have ten minutes and if they had any chance of making it, they needed to buy more time. Making her decision Amy walked over to Sheldon, planting her lips firmly against his.

Sheldon brushed his fingers against her cheek and spoke to her reassuringly, "We're going to be fine, we'll seal the doors and wait it out. The rest of the fleet will be here any minute…"

Amy forced a smile on her face and gave a nod. Sheldon once again turned his focus to his teammates and directed them to start the sequence to seal the ships doors.

Amy walked over to her friend and pulled her into a hug, "Keep him safe Risa…"

Risa shook her head as tears filled her eyes, "Don't Amy, he would want to stay together…"

Amy placed a kiss on Risa's forehead, "Please keep him safe…you know I cant lose him again…"

"The doors are sealed, Commander."

Looking around the ship Sheldon searched for Amy but she was nowhere to be found. He made his way over to Risa who turned her gaze away from him. Risa clutched her knees against her chest as she sobbed in her seat.

Frantically searching for her, Sheldon met her eyes but they were staring back at him from the other side of the ships doors.

"What are you doing?" Sheldon asked in horror.

Amy picked up one of the Alpha Quadrant uniforms that was discarded on the floor and began to put it on. Sheldon quickly realized what she was trying to do.

"Amy, don't!"

Amy stared back at him for a moment longer, she placed a kiss against her finger tips and pressed it against the window, "whatever happens, I promise you next lifetime…"

"Amy, don't you dare!"

"I love you Sheldon…"

"Amy, stay _here_!" Tears filled his eyes as he continued to plead with desperation, "I _order_ you to stay here!"

It felt like he was reliving his nightmare, calling out to Amy, begging her not to go down the hall towards the burning room.

Sheldon watched as Amy turned her back towards him, he pounded his fist helplessly against the ships door.

"I order you…," his voice shook with emotion, "stay here…"


End file.
